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Cruel and Beautiful World
Fandom: Harry Potter
Relationship: Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger
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After years of captivity, Hermione Granger fights her way onto the streets of Voldemort's London with only the knife in her pocket and the blood on her hands. There's a checkpoint on every corner, a curfew enforced by Voldemort's most trusted followers, and the only way back to the Boy Who Lived is through the Death Eater responsible for her capture in the first place.
Relationship: Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger
--------------------------------------------------
After years of captivity, Hermione Granger fights her way onto the streets of Voldemort's London with only the knife in her pocket and the blood on her hands. There's a checkpoint on every corner, a curfew enforced by Voldemort's most trusted followers, and the only way back to the Boy Who Lived is through the Death Eater responsible for her capture in the first place.
1343 pages, ebook
First published February 5, 2013
222 people are currently reading
4669 people want to read
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September 12, 2024
✅ Dramione
✅ Hate-to-love
✅ Plot
✅ Action and awesome fights
✅ New characters
✅🆗 Pace (some lengthy part near the middle)
✅🆗 Romance (the healing time should have been longer)
🆗 Inconsistencies in the world-building and character development
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: rape, slavery, sexual slavery, torture, and deaths
Objectively, this story is not perfect, and we can feel the Fanfiction vibe in it, but it is entertaining. Some behaviors in the first part seemed a little unrealistic (I'll talk more about those later in the review), and the slutshaming was a little annoying. Still, the plot is well-developed (although there are some inconsistencies).
The battle of Hogwarts did not end with Harry's side winning as it does in the series. Voldemort won, and Harry and the Resistance had to flee and hide. Hermione was caught, and turned into a slave for the Death Eaters, being raped and tortured daily, and slowly losing hope of ever being saved. When she is given an unexpected chance to flee, she runs away and is saved by Malfoy, who is not as cold and cruel as he appears to be when he's with the other Death Eaters.
While the themes of abuse, torture, and rape are present throughout the book, it is not as dark and angsty as I thought it would be. Hermione's trauma is clear and very much present, and she suffers from anxiety and PTSD, but with the help of Draco and her new friends, she learns to be happy and enjoy life again. This story has more of a fanfiction vibe than Manacled (which is the only other Dramione I've read... for now) in the sense that there is more time spent on more mundane scenes and cute funny moments that are not always 100% logical or necessary for the plot to progress, and the writing could be better, but it makes this book a little less heavy and dark, and it is still a good Fanfic that I enjoyed very much.
The descriptions are vivid. We can feel the darkness of the story, as well as the angst, fury, and passion of the characters, and we are immersed in Draco and Hermione's journey. My level of stress was pretty high while reading the second half of this story, and I had to refrain from skimming because I just wanted to make sure that everyone would be alright. I also really loved the fact that there was this tension and unease between Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they first got reunited, and how the boys struggled A LOT with the fact that Malfoy was apparently on their side, and even worse, that Hermione somehow fell in love with him. I was eager to see their reaction and I was not disappointed.
The plot is well thought-out and developed, but the romance felt a little forced and sudden at first. At least, the pace is good enough to keep us hooked on the story until the very end even though some parts near the middle felt a little longer. I also have to say that this final confrontation between Voldemort's army and the Resistance was EPIC. The numerous fights, twists, near-death moments, and the way it was all written were amazingly well done... I was on the edge of my seat for the last 200 pages and just couldn't stop reading. On a side note though, the way every rebel seemed to become such good duelists so fast was not believable.
The romance between Draco and Hermione is cute and sweet, and I liked seeing them get to know each other and change for the better. I have to say though, that because Hermione has been a slave for the past 4 years (and was raped almost daily), the fact that she got romantically and sexually involved with Draco only 2 months after her escape does feel a little rushed (her little jealousy bouts also felt quite juvenile). I went through such trauma, and I am not an expert on the subject at all, but I just find that 2 months is not a lot of time to heal from all the physical and mental trauma and be ready to jump into a romantic and sexually active relationship.
This version of Draco starts as cold and reserved, but loosens up and becomes warmer and more "normal" as he spends time with Hermione and their friends. He publicly shows affection to Hermione, makes jokes, and even allows himself to cry, sometimes in front of other people. It was shocking at first to see him like that (and it made me laugh every time he got upset because someone said that it was creepy to see him being all nice), but I learned to like it. He feels more human, and that's something that I enjoyed. His character arc is still a redemption one, but we can see from the very start that he is good deep down inside and that he just needs to find a way to escape Voldemort or get rid of him so he can finally be free and stop killing and torturing people, and learn to see his worth.
Some new characters are added to the original cast of HP, and the author did a good job in creating and developing these new characters. They are fleshed out and funny, and it's impossible not to fall in love with them. They were the perfect new friends for Hermione and Draco, and their dynamic just feels so wholesome.
Seeing Draco learning to interact with Harry, Ron and the rest of the Resistance was also funny and it was cute at the same time to see how he was willing to try anything to make Hermione happy. I am also happy that he managed to build a kind of shaky friendship with Harry. Friendship might be exaggerated, but they learned to respect each other and even saved each other's life once or twice and that felt wholesome too. I love that Draco also ended up with new friends, it was not just about Hermione and him, it was also about him finding a new family and building new friendships.
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✅ Hate-to-love
✅ Plot
✅ Action and awesome fights
✅ New characters
✅🆗 Pace (some lengthy part near the middle)
✅🆗 Romance (the healing time should have been longer)
🆗 Inconsistencies in the world-building and character development
❗️❗️ Trigger warnings: rape, slavery, sexual slavery, torture, and deaths
Objectively, this story is not perfect, and we can feel the Fanfiction vibe in it, but it is entertaining. Some behaviors in the first part seemed a little unrealistic (I'll talk more about those later in the review), and the slutshaming was a little annoying. Still, the plot is well-developed (although there are some inconsistencies).
“What is with your incessant need to order me around?”
“What is with your incessant need to challenge everything I say? It is for your greater good, Granger, so, for once in your life, you should just listen.”
The battle of Hogwarts did not end with Harry's side winning as it does in the series. Voldemort won, and Harry and the Resistance had to flee and hide. Hermione was caught, and turned into a slave for the Death Eaters, being raped and tortured daily, and slowly losing hope of ever being saved. When she is given an unexpected chance to flee, she runs away and is saved by Malfoy, who is not as cold and cruel as he appears to be when he's with the other Death Eaters.
While the themes of abuse, torture, and rape are present throughout the book, it is not as dark and angsty as I thought it would be. Hermione's trauma is clear and very much present, and she suffers from anxiety and PTSD, but with the help of Draco and her new friends, she learns to be happy and enjoy life again. This story has more of a fanfiction vibe than Manacled (which is the only other Dramione I've read... for now) in the sense that there is more time spent on more mundane scenes and cute funny moments that are not always 100% logical or necessary for the plot to progress, and the writing could be better, but it makes this book a little less heavy and dark, and it is still a good Fanfic that I enjoyed very much.
The descriptions are vivid. We can feel the darkness of the story, as well as the angst, fury, and passion of the characters, and we are immersed in Draco and Hermione's journey. My level of stress was pretty high while reading the second half of this story, and I had to refrain from skimming because I just wanted to make sure that everyone would be alright. I also really loved the fact that there was this tension and unease between Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they first got reunited, and how the boys struggled A LOT with the fact that Malfoy was apparently on their side, and even worse, that Hermione somehow fell in love with him. I was eager to see their reaction and I was not disappointed.
The plot is well thought-out and developed, but the romance felt a little forced and sudden at first. At least, the pace is good enough to keep us hooked on the story until the very end even though some parts near the middle felt a little longer. I also have to say that this final confrontation between Voldemort's army and the Resistance was EPIC. The numerous fights, twists, near-death moments, and the way it was all written were amazingly well done... I was on the edge of my seat for the last 200 pages and just couldn't stop reading. On a side note though, the way every rebel seemed to become such good duelists so fast was not believable.
The romance between Draco and Hermione is cute and sweet, and I liked seeing them get to know each other and change for the better. I have to say though, that because Hermione has been a slave for the past 4 years (and was raped almost daily), the fact that she got romantically and sexually involved with Draco only 2 months after her escape does feel a little rushed (her little jealousy bouts also felt quite juvenile). I went through such trauma, and I am not an expert on the subject at all, but I just find that 2 months is not a lot of time to heal from all the physical and mental trauma and be ready to jump into a romantic and sexually active relationship.
“The majority of Death Eaters suffer from a horrible disease called Pompous Pathosis and I am really glad that Draco has overcome that,” explained Luna.
This version of Draco starts as cold and reserved, but loosens up and becomes warmer and more "normal" as he spends time with Hermione and their friends. He publicly shows affection to Hermione, makes jokes, and even allows himself to cry, sometimes in front of other people. It was shocking at first to see him like that (and it made me laugh every time he got upset because someone said that it was creepy to see him being all nice), but I learned to like it. He feels more human, and that's something that I enjoyed. His character arc is still a redemption one, but we can see from the very start that he is good deep down inside and that he just needs to find a way to escape Voldemort or get rid of him so he can finally be free and stop killing and torturing people, and learn to see his worth.
Some new characters are added to the original cast of HP, and the author did a good job in creating and developing these new characters. They are fleshed out and funny, and it's impossible not to fall in love with them. They were the perfect new friends for Hermione and Draco, and their dynamic just feels so wholesome.
Harry began to cry as he pulled her closer, hugging her tight. Hermione cried with him, both of them laughing hysterically.
“Oh, I’m getting in on this,” said Ron, moving forward and throwing his arms around the both of them. Hermione looked at Draco and held out one of her arms.
Draco cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t think so, love. I’m steering clear of this golden trio hug-fest.”
Seeing Draco learning to interact with Harry, Ron and the rest of the Resistance was also funny and it was cute at the same time to see how he was willing to try anything to make Hermione happy. I am also happy that he managed to build a kind of shaky friendship with Harry. Friendship might be exaggerated, but they learned to respect each other and even saved each other's life once or twice and that felt wholesome too. I love that Draco also ended up with new friends, it was not just about Hermione and him, it was also about him finding a new family and building new friendships.
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January 24, 2025
I think it's about time that I write a proper review for what I consider to be the best fanfiction out there. I have read it countless of time in the past few months and I can't get enough.
I have shipped Dramione for years now and I have read a lot of fanfiction but not one touched me like this one did. The romance is built slowly but it's so worth it.
The writing isn't perfect but the love story and the plot development are mind blowing.
The story takes place after the battle of Hogwarts which unfortunately the good side did not win. Voldemort is still alive, a lot of people are killed and Hermione is taken captive and turned into a sex slave.
Lena Phoria has created a really interesting alternate ending and I was hooked instantly.
The story is dark and angsty but you'll fall in love with the characters and some of them will make you laugh out loud pretty much every time they speak. Some characters were added to the original Harry Potter story and one of them is one of the best character ever created.
If you are familiar with HP fanfictions you probably already know Theodore Nott much better than the people who have just read the books. I know that in the books he is barely mentioned but because of this story (and a few other) he is one of my top 3 favorite HP characters. And one of my top 3 book boyfriends. He's just bae.
I loved to read about Hermione overcoming the years of slavery and trying to get better and stronger.
As for Draco, I adored him in this one because I'm a sucker for overprotective and territorial male. He is everything that I love in a man.
If you love Dramione or you think you can love them, please read this story. You won't be disappointed.
I have shipped Dramione for years now and I have read a lot of fanfiction but not one touched me like this one did. The romance is built slowly but it's so worth it.
The writing isn't perfect but the love story and the plot development are mind blowing.
The story takes place after the battle of Hogwarts which unfortunately the good side did not win. Voldemort is still alive, a lot of people are killed and Hermione is taken captive and turned into a sex slave.
Lena Phoria has created a really interesting alternate ending and I was hooked instantly.
The story is dark and angsty but you'll fall in love with the characters and some of them will make you laugh out loud pretty much every time they speak. Some characters were added to the original Harry Potter story and one of them is one of the best character ever created.
If you are familiar with HP fanfictions you probably already know Theodore Nott much better than the people who have just read the books. I know that in the books he is barely mentioned but because of this story (and a few other) he is one of my top 3 favorite HP characters. And one of my top 3 book boyfriends. He's just bae.
I loved to read about Hermione overcoming the years of slavery and trying to get better and stronger.
As for Draco, I adored him in this one because I'm a sucker for overprotective and territorial male. He is everything that I love in a man.
If you love Dramione or you think you can love them, please read this story. You won't be disappointed.
April 24, 2022
4.5 ⭐ Angsty and dark AU wartime Dramione fanfic that will stay with you long after you’ve finished
Word Count: 422,070 | Chapters: 51
Trigger Warning (18+): This story is extremely dark with moments of rape, sexual slavery, sexual assault, violence, torture, character death, and suicide. Some scenes were extremely descriptive and graphic.
If you are sensitive to storylines where the main character has been raped, this may not be for you for two reasons. First, this trauma is constantly discussed, and some of the descriptions are graphic and extremely upsetting. Second, I do not think the timeline for healing was properly done, and some may find this triggering. Here's why: (SPOILER) After 4 years of being a sex slave for Death Eaters, Hermione is saved by Draco. Then 2 months later, they become romantically involved. This all happens within the first 10 chapters, which is part of the reason why I didn't like the beginning very much. I think that realistically, after that many years of sexual trauma, it would take a lot longer to heal and become comfortable trusting someone at that level.
In my opinion, this was much darker than The Auction and Manacled because of how these traumatic themes and situations were written and addressed.
Summary:
The story is set in an alternate universe where Harry Potter and The Order lost the final battle, and Voldemort has taken over most of the magical and muggle world.
After years of captivity, Hermione Granger escapes and finds herself on the streets of Voldemort's London. There are Death Eaters around every corner and an enforced curfew, making it impossible for her to leave the city in her current weakened state.
A few days after her escape, Draco Malfoy chances upon Hermione and offers her protection. At first, she is suspicious of the Death Eater responsible for her capture years ago but quickly realizes without his help, she'll never make it out. Reluctantly, Hermionie accepts Draco's offer and follows him home.
Perhaps it was guilt, kindness, fate, or a combination of the three, but when Draco finally comes face to face with the girl he was responsible for capturing years ago, he doesn't hesitate to help. While Draco never saw Hermione in the last four years, he heard how she had been raped and tortured by his fellow Death Eaters. It's not until he brings her to his flat that he discovers the full extent of her trauma. However, Draco refuses to treat her like a victim and makes it his mission to get her back to Ron, Harry, and the Resistance.
As Draco and Hermione spend time together, they find comfort, acceptance, and understanding with each other. And despite surviving in this cruel, f*cked up world, Draco discovers something beautiful to live for: Love.
My Thoughts:
This story is not perfect, but it is extremely impactful. Hence, why I've had a difficult time rating it. The first 10 chapters were a struggle to get through because of some unrealistic character behaviors, which would make me rate the story 3-stars. But the plot development and the way this story rips your heart out make it 5-stars. So I'm torn on the rating, but for now, I'll follow my broken heart and give it 4 or 4.5-stars. I promise I'll give an update if and when I do a re-read.
The writing is incredibly vivid. There's nothing more amazing than when an author has the ability to tell a story so well that the reader can visualize it in their imagination. From start to finish, I was immersed in this dark universe and able to visualize this story as if it were a film. It was incredible.
I hated and loved this AU storyline. While the story itself is brilliant, especially the last half (OMG), I am devastated by what Hermione went through. Never have I felt so emotionally distraught before while reading. While I loved the fact that it made me have a strong emotional reaction, I hated the traumatizing reason.
The angst was almost unbearable. This sort of goes with what I said above, but I genuinely knew no peace while reading this story. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest almost the entire time. Between Hermione's traumatic experiences, the escape, the tension with Resistance members, and the final battle, I was a nervous wreck. Even now, I still feel anxiety thinking back on this fanfic.
Hermione does not break. After years of being subjected to physical and mental torment of the worst kind, she continues to be strong, willful, and capable of love. The woman in this story is an inspiration, and seeing her heal is beautiful.
Bronson. ❤️ He is a character not featured in the original HP story, but HE IS EVERYTHING. My favorite character in the entire story. I would die for him. 😭
There were things I loved and hated about Draco's character.
I loved how Draco is so gentle with Hermione throughout the story. When he helps her bathe that first night because she's too weak or when he buys her a beautiful robe so she has other possessions. 💖 He takes care of her from the beginning and I love his thoughtfulness.
I loved that Draco treats Hermione like she's a regular person, not a victim. Once she is saved, Hermione is terrified of how her friends will treat her once they learn about the extent of what she has gone through. But from the beginning, Draco makes it a point not to walk on eggshells around her. While he is gentle and sensitive to Hermione's trauma, he doesn't act like she is broken. He makes her feel normal.
I hated that Draco had some inconsiderate and immature moments in the first 10 chapters - contradicting the Draco I talk about in my point above: For example:
• The Draco we first meet is gentle and so considerate of Hermione and her needs. But soon, we learn Draco is a bit of a playboy and continues to bring home random 'slags.' Perhaps it was to keep up appearances so other Death Eaters don't suspect Draco has taken in a fugitive. Still, it was horrible reading how Draco screws girls while Hermione (a rape victim) is in the next room and can hear everything. So disgusting and inconsiderate . . . I don't care about the reason.
�� Then, there's the whole sh*t with Pansy and how he goes to her to spite Hermione. I'm still angry AF about that.
• The last thing I'll say is how annoying it was that Draco had the nerve to get possessive and jealous that Hermione enjoyed spending time with Bronson. He even accuses her of wanting to shag Bronson just two weeks after escaping being a sex slave for four years. This pissed me off so much that I almost stopped reading honestly.
This behavior only seemed to last for the first 10 chapters, so if you can get through that, know it gets better. I sometimes felt the author did this just to add drama and angst, which seems unfair to the characters and their development.
Draco's lack of character development bothered me. I don't think it took away from the story or plot, but Draco doesn't seem to have changed much since their school days. He still believes in blood purity superiority, but he doesn't think muggle-borns should be treated as slaves. Like, okay, so falling in love with Hermione didn't change your opinion? Like what if you have kids with her in the future? That seems like it would be a problem. I have to believe his opinions do actually change by the end of the story, they're just not talked about, and that is the issue. It's the only thing that makes sense based on Draco's actions near the end of the story.
The Dramione relationship happened too soon. Hermione stays at Draco's for less than 10 days when some flirtation happens and about a month when they start getting physical. This isn't realistic at all. Someone who is raped every day for the last 4 years would most likely not feel comfortable getting close to and trusting someone with both their heart and body. The story would have been much better and more believable if it spanned over a longer period so Hermione had time to heal before getting into any romantic relationship.
But, I love the Dramione relationship. They definitely had a bit of an unhealthy dependence, but I loved that they were able to develop it into something much healthier as the story progresses. The way they love and protect one another is so beautiful. It's the one thing in this story, along with Bronson, that makes my heart so so so happy. All I want is for these two individuals, who have gone through hell and back, to find happiness and be safe. I really wish there was an epilogue so we could see a bit more of what their future looks like after the final battle.
The entire story with The Resistance (Ron, Harry, Ginny, Ernie, and Padma) is amazing! Once we finally got to this part of the story, I couldn't stop reading. I loved seeing these characters and learning their stories from the last four years. Plus, all the drama that unfolds when they learn about Draco and Hermione is solid and realistic to the situation!
The sudden character changes seemed to only happen in order to push the story forward or add drama. I'm specifically talking about Pansy, Rodolphus, and Lucius. I won't go into the specifics, but the fact that these three people who have hurt Hermione the most just randomly decide to become better people? Like, why? Pansy. . . I can forgive. But Rodolphus and Lucius. Abso-f*cking-lutely NOT!!! I don't want anything redeeming to happen to them, nor do I want any forgiveness to be given! They deserve to rot in hell, and nothing will change that. These situations reminded me of CW TV shows like Vampire Diaries where the bad guy sometimes does a good thing in the end so you don't hate them as much. But I think this totally takes away from the story. In my opinion, it's lazy writing.
I f*cking hate Lucy. She's not even an important character, but I hate her and want y'all to know. I'm totally fine with what happened to her.
Satisfied with the ending. The final battle is epic! I typically am not into fighting scenes but, wow, this one is amazing. Beware: Some character deaths will cause you to shed tears. I hardly ever cry, but this one got me. 😭
Overall, this is not a perfect story, but it is powerful and emotional. It's not necessarily a fanfic I'll reread much due to the incredibly dark and upsetting themes, but it truly is a captivating story that should be read.
My Current Dramione Fanfic Rankings
⭐ = Must-Reads
🌶️ = Best Smut
Novels (150,000+ words):
1. Manacled - SenLinYu ⭐
2. Remain Nameless - HeyJude19 ⭐🌶️
3. Cruel and Beautiful World - Lena Phoria
4. The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy - Speechwriter ⭐
5. Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love - thisisselfcare ⭐
6. Various Storms and Saints - ViridianAtNight
7. Isolation - Bex-Chan ⭐
8. Bring Him To His Knees - Musyc 🌶️
9. The Auction - LovesBitca8 ⭐
10. All You Want - SenLinYu 🌶️
11. Breath Mints / Battle Scars - Onyx_and_Elm 🌶️
12. The Right Thing To Do - LovesBitca8
13. Beginning and End - MightBeWriting
14. The Gloriana Set - ThebeMoon
15. Love In A Time Of The Zombie Apocalypse - RizzleWrites
16. All The Wrong Things - LovesBitca8
17. Hunted - Bex-Chan
18. The Fallout - EveryThursday (DNF)
Novellas (less than 150,000 words):
1. Hot For Teacher - MotherOfBulls ⭐🌶️
2. Apple Pies and Other Amends - ToEatAPeach ⭐
3. Thirteenth Night - Nelpher ⭐
4. Sex Ed - MrBenzedrine89 🌶️
5. Still Life - monsterleadmehome
6. A Second Look - RiverWriter
7. The Best Of Me - MrsRen
8. Silencio - AkashaTheKitty
9. Wait and Hope - MightBeWriting
10. Between Certifiable and Bliss - HeyJude19
11.Atonement - Lunamionny
12. Incomplete - Niffizzle
13. Love and Other Misfortunes - SenLinYu
14. An Indefinite Amount of Forever - MotherOfBulls (sequel)
15. Making Amends - slytherin_prince27
16. Proximate - In_Dreams
17. The List - AureliaBlack90
18. The Cherry Pit - rubykrishna (DNF)
19. The Erised Effect - Ada_P_Rix
Short Stories (less than 50,000 words):
1. Movements, Contrived and Improvised - HeyJude19 ⭐
2. Best Shot - AccioMjolnir ⭐
3. The Library of Alexandria - SenLinYu ⭐
4. The First Rule of Fight Club… - LadyKenz347
5. Until The Ink Runs Dry & Indelible Ink - AccioMjolnir
6. Break For Me - Ada_P_Rix 🌶️
7. Call It What You Want - HawthorneWhisperer
8. Under The Wings of The Shadow - AccioMjolnir
9. The Watergaw - smokybaltic
10. Amends - thelashjedi
11. Write For Me - Ada_P_Rix
12. Ties That Bind - TattoosAndHighHeeledShoes
12. Amateur Cartography - worksofstone
13. Blood Rights - uselessenglishmajor
14. Big Dick Energy - louiseob
15. Jammed - Ada_P_Rix
One Shots (less than 15,000 words):
1. Your Lonely Calls To Me - SenLinYu ⭐
2. The Unbearable Tedium of Romance - smokybaltic
3. For Her - dirtymudblood
4. Because You’ll Like it - BedtimeFantasies 🌶️
5. Stupid Games - SenLinYu 🌶️
6. A Patient Man - LadyKenz347
7. Between Pages - DarkoftheMoon
8. An Unlikely Companion & An Unlikely Family - happy_valley
9. Potions, Perfume, and Apples - ellywolf111
10. Les Pelerins - PacificRumbaud
11. Like A Dagger To The Heart - hxllowsandhorcruxes
12. Fantasy - krissyxkat 🌶️
13. Head over Dragonhide Thigh High Heels - rubykrishna
14. Coming Down - nikitajobson and raven_maiden
15. A Matter of Practicality - OlivieBlake
16. Mistletoe - CatmintandThyme
17. Elevator - its_banannaz
18. Preface - ephemeraltoxic
19. Red or Green - SenLinYu
Word Count: 422,070 | Chapters: 51
Trigger Warning (18+): This story is extremely dark with moments of rape, sexual slavery, sexual assault, violence, torture, character death, and suicide. Some scenes were extremely descriptive and graphic.
If you are sensitive to storylines where the main character has been raped, this may not be for you for two reasons. First, this trauma is constantly discussed, and some of the descriptions are graphic and extremely upsetting. Second, I do not think the timeline for healing was properly done, and some may find this triggering. Here's why: (SPOILER) After 4 years of being a sex slave for Death Eaters, Hermione is saved by Draco. Then 2 months later, they become romantically involved. This all happens within the first 10 chapters, which is part of the reason why I didn't like the beginning very much. I think that realistically, after that many years of sexual trauma, it would take a lot longer to heal and become comfortable trusting someone at that level.
In my opinion, this was much darker than The Auction and Manacled because of how these traumatic themes and situations were written and addressed.
Summary:
The story is set in an alternate universe where Harry Potter and The Order lost the final battle, and Voldemort has taken over most of the magical and muggle world.
After years of captivity, Hermione Granger escapes and finds herself on the streets of Voldemort's London. There are Death Eaters around every corner and an enforced curfew, making it impossible for her to leave the city in her current weakened state.
A few days after her escape, Draco Malfoy chances upon Hermione and offers her protection. At first, she is suspicious of the Death Eater responsible for her capture years ago but quickly realizes without his help, she'll never make it out. Reluctantly, Hermionie accepts Draco's offer and follows him home.
Perhaps it was guilt, kindness, fate, or a combination of the three, but when Draco finally comes face to face with the girl he was responsible for capturing years ago, he doesn't hesitate to help. While Draco never saw Hermione in the last four years, he heard how she had been raped and tortured by his fellow Death Eaters. It's not until he brings her to his flat that he discovers the full extent of her trauma. However, Draco refuses to treat her like a victim and makes it his mission to get her back to Ron, Harry, and the Resistance.
As Draco and Hermione spend time together, they find comfort, acceptance, and understanding with each other. And despite surviving in this cruel, f*cked up world, Draco discovers something beautiful to live for: Love.
My Thoughts:
This story is not perfect, but it is extremely impactful. Hence, why I've had a difficult time rating it. The first 10 chapters were a struggle to get through because of some unrealistic character behaviors, which would make me rate the story 3-stars. But the plot development and the way this story rips your heart out make it 5-stars. So I'm torn on the rating, but for now, I'll follow my broken heart and give it 4 or 4.5-stars. I promise I'll give an update if and when I do a re-read.
The writing is incredibly vivid. There's nothing more amazing than when an author has the ability to tell a story so well that the reader can visualize it in their imagination. From start to finish, I was immersed in this dark universe and able to visualize this story as if it were a film. It was incredible.
I hated and loved this AU storyline. While the story itself is brilliant, especially the last half (OMG), I am devastated by what Hermione went through. Never have I felt so emotionally distraught before while reading. While I loved the fact that it made me have a strong emotional reaction, I hated the traumatizing reason.
The angst was almost unbearable. This sort of goes with what I said above, but I genuinely knew no peace while reading this story. I felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest almost the entire time. Between Hermione's traumatic experiences, the escape, the tension with Resistance members, and the final battle, I was a nervous wreck. Even now, I still feel anxiety thinking back on this fanfic.
Hermione does not break. After years of being subjected to physical and mental torment of the worst kind, she continues to be strong, willful, and capable of love. The woman in this story is an inspiration, and seeing her heal is beautiful.
Bronson. ❤️ He is a character not featured in the original HP story, but HE IS EVERYTHING. My favorite character in the entire story. I would die for him. 😭
There were things I loved and hated about Draco's character.
I loved how Draco is so gentle with Hermione throughout the story. When he helps her bathe that first night because she's too weak or when he buys her a beautiful robe so she has other possessions. 💖 He takes care of her from the beginning and I love his thoughtfulness.
I loved that Draco treats Hermione like she's a regular person, not a victim. Once she is saved, Hermione is terrified of how her friends will treat her once they learn about the extent of what she has gone through. But from the beginning, Draco makes it a point not to walk on eggshells around her. While he is gentle and sensitive to Hermione's trauma, he doesn't act like she is broken. He makes her feel normal.
I hated that Draco had some inconsiderate and immature moments in the first 10 chapters - contradicting the Draco I talk about in my point above: For example:
• The Draco we first meet is gentle and so considerate of Hermione and her needs. But soon, we learn Draco is a bit of a playboy and continues to bring home random 'slags.' Perhaps it was to keep up appearances so other Death Eaters don't suspect Draco has taken in a fugitive. Still, it was horrible reading how Draco screws girls while Hermione (a rape victim) is in the next room and can hear everything. So disgusting and inconsiderate . . . I don't care about the reason.
�� Then, there's the whole sh*t with Pansy and how he goes to her to spite Hermione. I'm still angry AF about that.
• The last thing I'll say is how annoying it was that Draco had the nerve to get possessive and jealous that Hermione enjoyed spending time with Bronson. He even accuses her of wanting to shag Bronson just two weeks after escaping being a sex slave for four years. This pissed me off so much that I almost stopped reading honestly.
This behavior only seemed to last for the first 10 chapters, so if you can get through that, know it gets better. I sometimes felt the author did this just to add drama and angst, which seems unfair to the characters and their development.
Draco's lack of character development bothered me. I don't think it took away from the story or plot, but Draco doesn't seem to have changed much since their school days. He still believes in blood purity superiority, but he doesn't think muggle-borns should be treated as slaves. Like, okay, so falling in love with Hermione didn't change your opinion? Like what if you have kids with her in the future? That seems like it would be a problem. I have to believe his opinions do actually change by the end of the story, they're just not talked about, and that is the issue. It's the only thing that makes sense based on Draco's actions near the end of the story.
The Dramione relationship happened too soon. Hermione stays at Draco's for less than 10 days when some flirtation happens and about a month when they start getting physical. This isn't realistic at all. Someone who is raped every day for the last 4 years would most likely not feel comfortable getting close to and trusting someone with both their heart and body. The story would have been much better and more believable if it spanned over a longer period so Hermione had time to heal before getting into any romantic relationship.
But, I love the Dramione relationship. They definitely had a bit of an unhealthy dependence, but I loved that they were able to develop it into something much healthier as the story progresses. The way they love and protect one another is so beautiful. It's the one thing in this story, along with Bronson, that makes my heart so so so happy. All I want is for these two individuals, who have gone through hell and back, to find happiness and be safe. I really wish there was an epilogue so we could see a bit more of what their future looks like after the final battle.
The entire story with The Resistance (Ron, Harry, Ginny, Ernie, and Padma) is amazing! Once we finally got to this part of the story, I couldn't stop reading. I loved seeing these characters and learning their stories from the last four years. Plus, all the drama that unfolds when they learn about Draco and Hermione is solid and realistic to the situation!
The sudden character changes seemed to only happen in order to push the story forward or add drama. I'm specifically talking about Pansy, Rodolphus, and Lucius. I won't go into the specifics, but the fact that these three people who have hurt Hermione the most just randomly decide to become better people? Like, why? Pansy. . . I can forgive. But Rodolphus and Lucius. Abso-f*cking-lutely NOT!!! I don't want anything redeeming to happen to them, nor do I want any forgiveness to be given! They deserve to rot in hell, and nothing will change that. These situations reminded me of CW TV shows like Vampire Diaries where the bad guy sometimes does a good thing in the end so you don't hate them as much. But I think this totally takes away from the story. In my opinion, it's lazy writing.
I f*cking hate Lucy. She's not even an important character, but I hate her and want y'all to know. I'm totally fine with what happened to her.
Satisfied with the ending. The final battle is epic! I typically am not into fighting scenes but, wow, this one is amazing. Beware: Some character deaths will cause you to shed tears. I hardly ever cry, but this one got me. 😭
Overall, this is not a perfect story, but it is powerful and emotional. It's not necessarily a fanfic I'll reread much due to the incredibly dark and upsetting themes, but it truly is a captivating story that should be read.
My Current Dramione Fanfic Rankings
⭐ = Must-Reads
🌶️ = Best Smut
Novels (150,000+ words):
1. Manacled - SenLinYu ⭐
2. Remain Nameless - HeyJude19 ⭐🌶️
3. Cruel and Beautiful World - Lena Phoria
4. The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy - Speechwriter ⭐
5. Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love - thisisselfcare ⭐
6. Various Storms and Saints - ViridianAtNight
7. Isolation - Bex-Chan ⭐
8. Bring Him To His Knees - Musyc 🌶️
9. The Auction - LovesBitca8 ⭐
10. All You Want - SenLinYu 🌶️
11. Breath Mints / Battle Scars - Onyx_and_Elm 🌶️
12. The Right Thing To Do - LovesBitca8
13. Beginning and End - MightBeWriting
14. The Gloriana Set - ThebeMoon
15. Love In A Time Of The Zombie Apocalypse - RizzleWrites
16. All The Wrong Things - LovesBitca8
17. Hunted - Bex-Chan
18. The Fallout - EveryThursday (DNF)
Novellas (less than 150,000 words):
1. Hot For Teacher - MotherOfBulls ⭐🌶️
2. Apple Pies and Other Amends - ToEatAPeach ⭐
3. Thirteenth Night - Nelpher ⭐
4. Sex Ed - MrBenzedrine89 🌶️
5. Still Life - monsterleadmehome
6. A Second Look - RiverWriter
7. The Best Of Me - MrsRen
8. Silencio - AkashaTheKitty
9. Wait and Hope - MightBeWriting
10. Between Certifiable and Bliss - HeyJude19
11.Atonement - Lunamionny
12. Incomplete - Niffizzle
13. Love and Other Misfortunes - SenLinYu
14. An Indefinite Amount of Forever - MotherOfBulls (sequel)
15. Making Amends - slytherin_prince27
16. Proximate - In_Dreams
17. The List - AureliaBlack90
18. The Cherry Pit - rubykrishna (DNF)
19. The Erised Effect - Ada_P_Rix
Short Stories (less than 50,000 words):
1. Movements, Contrived and Improvised - HeyJude19 ⭐
2. Best Shot - AccioMjolnir ⭐
3. The Library of Alexandria - SenLinYu ⭐
4. The First Rule of Fight Club… - LadyKenz347
5. Until The Ink Runs Dry & Indelible Ink - AccioMjolnir
6. Break For Me - Ada_P_Rix 🌶️
7. Call It What You Want - HawthorneWhisperer
8. Under The Wings of The Shadow - AccioMjolnir
9. The Watergaw - smokybaltic
10. Amends - thelashjedi
11. Write For Me - Ada_P_Rix
12. Ties That Bind - TattoosAndHighHeeledShoes
12. Amateur Cartography - worksofstone
13. Blood Rights - uselessenglishmajor
14. Big Dick Energy - louiseob
15. Jammed - Ada_P_Rix
One Shots (less than 15,000 words):
1. Your Lonely Calls To Me - SenLinYu ⭐
2. The Unbearable Tedium of Romance - smokybaltic
3. For Her - dirtymudblood
4. Because You’ll Like it - BedtimeFantasies 🌶️
5. Stupid Games - SenLinYu 🌶️
6. A Patient Man - LadyKenz347
7. Between Pages - DarkoftheMoon
8. An Unlikely Companion & An Unlikely Family - happy_valley
9. Potions, Perfume, and Apples - ellywolf111
10. Les Pelerins - PacificRumbaud
11. Like A Dagger To The Heart - hxllowsandhorcruxes
12. Fantasy - krissyxkat 🌶️
13. Head over Dragonhide Thigh High Heels - rubykrishna
14. Coming Down - nikitajobson and raven_maiden
15. A Matter of Practicality - OlivieBlake
16. Mistletoe - CatmintandThyme
17. Elevator - its_banannaz
18. Preface - ephemeraltoxic
19. Red or Green - SenLinYu
January 11, 2022
I’m sorry to say but I did not like this book at all. I think the initial plot had promise but the way it was executed made me cringe and grimace. Draco’s and Hermione’s actions were childish — every other page they were throwing tantrums at each other, stomping around and throwing doors shut. The dialogue was forced and, yes, at times there were funny moments, but overall there was no true chemistry between both of them. There was no consistent flow and the writing made me struggle to read onwards. This book deals with heavy topics such as sexual abuse and trauma but there was no maturity in the way they were dealt with. How can someone after 4 years of abuse and torture not suffer from trauma or anxiety? Hermione’s horrific past was romanticised and it was clearly only created to add angst into her and Draco’s relationship. It was entirely glossed over.
Also, I need to mention, the constant use of the word sl*g or wh*re to describe women was crude and ignorant. Just because they had a one night stand with Draco doesn’t mean you can use such derogatory words when it was clearly him that was treating them with no respect and throwing them out of his house after using them.
Thank you for listening to my rant.
Sorry 😭
Also, I need to mention, the constant use of the word sl*g or wh*re to describe women was crude and ignorant. Just because they had a one night stand with Draco doesn’t mean you can use such derogatory words when it was clearly him that was treating them with no respect and throwing them out of his house after using them.
Thank you for listening to my rant.
Sorry 😭
July 22, 2018
Over the past two years I have read alot of dramione fanfiction, but nothing comes close to the love I have for this one.
The characters were written ture to themselfs, (which I often find fics that don't and it irritades me immensely) and the added characters were lovable and just amazing.
Sadly the fic was removed by it's author but a book came out of it and even tho there are a few changes (as to be expected for a published book), the story is just the same as are the characters (minus their names ;))
If you didn't already know of it's excistence, do check it out!
Broken Wings
The characters were written ture to themselfs, (which I often find fics that don't and it irritades me immensely) and the added characters were lovable and just amazing.
Sadly the fic was removed by it's author but a book came out of it and even tho there are a few changes (as to be expected for a published book), the story is just the same as are the characters (minus their names ;))
If you didn't already know of it's excistence, do check it out!
Broken Wings
January 22, 2022
this gets 2 stars for bronson. bronson and theo carried this but the rest was so unrealistic.
October 2, 2025
“I’m a Slytherin, Love. We pride ourselves on breaking the rules and never getting caught.”
First of all, I need to tell you that I’m not a fanfiction type of girl. Actually, this is my first fanfiction ever. And even though it has been heartedly recommended to me years ago by a friend whose opinion I value, I had not felt ready to read this 1300+ pages behemoth before just now. To be honest with you, I initially thought there was some kind of mistake with the page count on my kobo, but don’t be as foolish as I was, calling this book massive is not an understatement. However, in the end, it did not matter how huge it was, I enjoyed the hell out of every single page.
“I hate you,” she whispered while staring at the blank piece of parchment covering a small spot on the photo.
“I hate you,” she said again. And then her eyes drifted to Draco, small and happy as he leaned into his mother, that same crooked smile lighting up his entire face.
“I wish I hated you.” It definitely would have made things easier if she did.
Cruel and Beautiful World is an alternative ending to the Harry Potter series. It occurs five years after the Battle of Hogwarts, and the story is pretty much the same apart from the *detail* that the heroes we know so well lost against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Hemione Granger has been captured and enslaved by the Death Eaters. She has been tortured and raped for five years, changing owners every few weeks so the rebellion could not find her. As for the famous Harry Potter no one has seen him ever since he was carried away from the Battle by Hagrid, unconscious.
Hermione used to fight back her fate but now knows that it’s easier to just wait until her abusers are done with her. But one day, another slave confesses that she thinks the reason no one saw Harry is that he is afraid to act against Voldemort in case his actions would worsen Hermione’s treatment. So she gives her a knife in the hope that she could flee and join the rebellion and that Harry would finally be able to defy and defeat Voldemort.
“Harry Potter. It has been a long time.”
“Neither can live while the other survives, remember?”
With her bare hands, her knife, and her anger, Hermione manages to cut Rodolphus Lestrange’s throat and escape. But she quickly realizes that London is on lockdown and that she is stuck there with no way out of the capital. Mere days after her escape, she is almost caught by random Death Eaters but is saved by another who is no other than Draco Malfoy, the same one who caused her capture in the first place. She is unsurprisingly suspicious about his motives, but she has to cooperate because he is the only one who is able to help her.
It is tough to review this properly, being a fanfiction virgin and all, I have nothing to compare it with, but I can say I understand the hype! This book was extremely addictive and most importantly, I had a great time from cover to cover. It’s been a while since I have been this eager to come home to be able to read,
“You're not a bad guy, Malfoy. A little prejudiced towards Hufflepuffs. Pretty sarcastic. Definitely rude. But not bad.”
Draco Malfoy has always been a character I despised, in the seven original books, I always found him to be too one-dimensional. He was the bad guy, the one who belittled others for being different (those poorer, those weaker, those without witch or wizard ancestors…). There was not a lot of growth possible for him there (the same goes for most Slytherin students IMO) and I love that Lena Phoria managed to make me ADORE some of them. The love story was addictive and I could not get enough of it, and more particularly, I could not get enough of Draco Malfoy as a love interest.
Changing my mind on Draco is a miracle in itself, but also creating a layered background on some characters such as Pansy Parkinson or Theodore Nott makes me admirative of Lena Phoria's writing skills. The side relationships were very entertaining, and we can see in the author’s notes at the beginning of each chapter that she took her reader’s opinion to heart. Some characters were her own creations, Bronson for instance, and he was so well fleshed, complex and likeable that he was one of my favourites in this book.
“Have you been giving them hell, love?” he asked.
“Every chance I get,” she answered.
Now, was this book perfect? Absolutely not. As probably every fanfiction out there, it is self-published, meaning many parts dragged and some could have been deleted, some felt rushed . There were also several spelling mistakes, repetitions and other written clumsinesses. The number of red flags in the main OTP’s relationship was sometimes concerning and managed to break my investment in them once or twice. Nonetheless, the enjoyment I had out of it was worth it all.
December 2, 2016
Holy. Freaking. Crap. Is this a long book. I didn't realize just how long it was when I started, otherwise I might not have picked it up. For a bit of context The Way of Kings is a monster book at 1007 pages and 387,000 words. This book I had to read on PDF which has a different kind of page count (It came in at 1271), but at the end of the book the author said that it was 400,000 words.
So I just read an 1100 page book?! No wonder it took me almost a month to finish! OK, on to the review....
This is my first ever fan fiction that I've ever read. I was scrolling through my Goodreads one day and I came across Pauline Caspar's review. I instantly became interested. Pauline Caspar writes some of my favorite reviews. And this review sold me. I was itching to get back into the Harry Poter world anyway and this was something that struck my fancy. Hermione and Draco Malfoy get together!? And it's is a darker toned type story!? Ok, my interest was piqued and the story did not disappoint. I could go into some massive spoilers, but I really just want to try and keep this simple. If you like Harry Potter this is a good "alternate history" story of that world. If you like love story's, this is a great read. This book made me laugh. It made me sad. It made me grin from ear to ear in moments of happiness. It made me cringe. It had most of the goods here. There were twists I didn't see coming and some I did. Honestly my only complaint about this story is that some sections where just a tad to big. This book probably could have been edited down a couple hundred pages.
This book was a lot of fun, and I am completely sold on fan fiction now. I'm probably going to check out a Final Fantasy VII fanfic next. Without coming across that review I would have never known or read this book and I'm glad that I did. It was quite the ride.
P.S.- I had no idea what the heck Dramione was. About halfway through the book I found out it's just Draco/Hermione mixed together. Boy I felt dumb when I figured that out finally. And apparently Damione fanfic is super popular. Weird.
So I just read an 1100 page book?! No wonder it took me almost a month to finish! OK, on to the review....
This is my first ever fan fiction that I've ever read. I was scrolling through my Goodreads one day and I came across Pauline Caspar's review. I instantly became interested. Pauline Caspar writes some of my favorite reviews. And this review sold me. I was itching to get back into the Harry Poter world anyway and this was something that struck my fancy. Hermione and Draco Malfoy get together!? And it's is a darker toned type story!? Ok, my interest was piqued and the story did not disappoint. I could go into some massive spoilers, but I really just want to try and keep this simple. If you like Harry Potter this is a good "alternate history" story of that world. If you like love story's, this is a great read. This book made me laugh. It made me sad. It made me grin from ear to ear in moments of happiness. It made me cringe. It had most of the goods here. There were twists I didn't see coming and some I did. Honestly my only complaint about this story is that some sections where just a tad to big. This book probably could have been edited down a couple hundred pages.
This book was a lot of fun, and I am completely sold on fan fiction now. I'm probably going to check out a Final Fantasy VII fanfic next. Without coming across that review I would have never known or read this book and I'm glad that I did. It was quite the ride.
P.S.- I had no idea what the heck Dramione was. About halfway through the book I found out it's just Draco/Hermione mixed together. Boy I felt dumb when I figured that out finally. And apparently Damione fanfic is super popular. Weird.
April 2, 2023
a lot of slut shaming which made me upset
August 11, 2021
i’m gonna be honest, i only read the first 3 chapters
it physically pained me to read even that much
the writing was atrocious, everything moved way too fast, the book starts off and she is captured, glosses over her being raped, she escaped(no planning went into her escape and it just wasn’t realistic), you hear some dialogue of death eaters talking about sex and raping muggle borns, which is completely overdone to a way that it just seems very forced, then all of a sudden draco helps her and brings her to his apartment and the author is already hinting at his feeling for her when they have barely talked
the dialogue was also horrible, it was incredibly forced and came of as fake
maybe it gets better later in the book but from what i have seen it is def one of the worst dramione fan five i have ever come across
it physically pained me to read even that much
the writing was atrocious, everything moved way too fast, the book starts off and she is captured, glosses over her being raped, she escaped(no planning went into her escape and it just wasn’t realistic), you hear some dialogue of death eaters talking about sex and raping muggle borns, which is completely overdone to a way that it just seems very forced, then all of a sudden draco helps her and brings her to his apartment and the author is already hinting at his feeling for her when they have barely talked
the dialogue was also horrible, it was incredibly forced and came of as fake
maybe it gets better later in the book but from what i have seen it is def one of the worst dramione fan five i have ever come across
September 15, 2019
yeah i read this shit come at me haters
i love this story with my whole dang heart
i love this story with my whole dang heart
July 8, 2021
Shit this book was good but also long AF, amazing story. 🖤
July 18, 2022
Better than the actual Harry Potter series
Read
January 1, 2025Dnf… relationship started way to early for my slow burn heart
August 19, 2024
The first 15% of Cruel Beautiful World has the same bleakness as that of Manacled (Sen Lin Yu); up to about 40% the story becomes reminiscent of Draconian (Noelle N., hepburnettes); and the rest of the fic is like The Fallout (everythursday).
And while this has elements from several amazing fics, I wouldn't say that it was able to match the level(s) of Manacled and Draconian as the story dragged out quite a bit somewhere in the middle and lacked a consistent plot.
However D & H's characters as well as the supporting characters were written well, e.g. Theo, Blaise, Daphne, Pansy, and a few others. This is what I enjoyed the most.
Neville also had an interesting and more unique side story somewhere in the fic, but he was forgotten soon after (I think the author forgot about him) and was unfortunately never mentioned again after that one scene.
I read that the writer has published this fic as her own original work (of course without the names and with a different world building), and her writing may be more refined there - I'm not quite sure if it's HEA but I plan to get my hands on it if it is.
3.5☆
And while this has elements from several amazing fics, I wouldn't say that it was able to match the level(s) of Manacled and Draconian as the story dragged out quite a bit somewhere in the middle and lacked a consistent plot.
However D & H's characters as well as the supporting characters were written well, e.g. Theo, Blaise, Daphne, Pansy, and a few others. This is what I enjoyed the most.
Neville also had an interesting and more unique side story somewhere in the fic, but he was forgotten soon after (I think the author forgot about him) and was unfortunately never mentioned again after that one scene.
I read that the writer has published this fic as her own original work (of course without the names and with a different world building), and her writing may be more refined there - I'm not quite sure if it's HEA but I plan to get my hands on it if it is.
3.5☆
February 2, 2025
idk what it says about me but the dark au’s just hit different😭 however the immaturity with the constant slag-shaming in the beginning was annoying
November 22, 2021
What in the Stockholm syndrome?
Poorly written, insta-love, one-dimensional-characters.
My breaking point was: “and you having feelings for Malfoy would be the equivalent of a Holocaust victim having feelings for a Nazi”, now, don’t get me wrong, I know HP has been compared to the Holocaust in the fandom, I know there are parallelisms, but to mention it so lightly, it rubbed me the wrong way.
Had to DNF at 7%, an all time low for me. Sad.
Poorly written, insta-love, one-dimensional-characters.
My breaking point was: “and you having feelings for Malfoy would be the equivalent of a Holocaust victim having feelings for a Nazi”, now, don’t get me wrong, I know HP has been compared to the Holocaust in the fandom, I know there are parallelisms, but to mention it so lightly, it rubbed me the wrong way.
Had to DNF at 7%, an all time low for me. Sad.
March 20, 2023
Honestly… Bronson carried the story. Everyone else somehow magically got over their traumas within a night. Make it make sense.
November 27, 2024
Part 1: loving this fic so far, can’t wait to see where it goes!
August 3, 2023
2,75/5 ⭐️
This is NOT a ennemies-to-lovers dramione.
This is a fucked-up-strangers-to-fuckfriend-really-too-fast story filled with slutshaming.
Hermione is sooo OOC. And the way her trauma is endled…. Nahhhhh. Wayyyy tooooo fast without a single care in the world (trigger: rape). You would think someone with 4 years of non-stop abuse would have somewhat of a PTSD? Anxiety? Flashbacks? Nop, all she has is 2 or 3 nightmare and way too much libido!
Draco is.. okay. I mean I don’t get why he fell in love with Hermione so fast in the first place, but the second part of the story was better. He is one of the worst in the slutshaming, but it is in his character arc so I accept a part of it. The problem is that there is NO EVOLUTION. The slutshaming in the beginning is the same aallllllll the way to the last chapters.
Yes, the worst part has to be the slut shaming: every women is just a mean to get pleasure to the men. I should have kept a count the number of times the GOOD guys called a regular girl a « whore ». It is just plainly disgusting. THIS BOOK DID NOT AGE WELL!
Here’s my tribute to all the gorgeous and perfect woman that were called sluts for absolutely no reasons:
•Astoria (a whore and a virgin a the same time so hawt 🤪😡)
•Lucy (sleeping with 2 men is disgusting immarite ?! 🫢😡)
•Pansy (for being in love with Draco)
•Fiona (a brainwashed slave with stocholm syndrom EWWWW THE WORST such a whore!)
•All the other unamed « slags » and believe me, there were SO MANY!
The people that had the most amount of sex in this book were Draco and Theo, with so many different woman nobody can count, and they were never, NEVER, called out for their toxic behavior! If misogyny was a book…
If you want to read this book, brace yourselves : nothing happens for 80% of it. It’s a war AU where Voldy wins, but you can’t feel it for the vast majority of the book. The characters just enjoy their blissfull time together in ignorance lol. Here are my receipts:
Skipping to another major problem:
The world building is pretty… stupid 😅 lots of mistakes were made (beta readers hello?)
•Voldemort: « yeah everyone is stuck in london no one can’t get out hehe I am such a bad guy 🤟🏼 »
Also voldemort: « yeah we will stop using Hogwards express. People will just figure out how to get there by themselves.»
The people: yeah we can’t get out of London dumbass 🤐
(That has to be my fav mistake it is soooo stupid 😂)
•Draco complains about his wand being checked every morning, so he can’t do all the magic freely like he wants, BUT! he has another one under the radar but never used it in 4 years 😂he just burry it with his mother corpse 🙄 before giving it to Hermione for absolutely no reason.
•Draco hides planty of rebels that wants to go to the resistance in another flat, but keeps hermione in his flat. No logic there but help the author achieve the stockolm syndrome she wanted. 😓
•He sees neville in the black market and recognize his face. Of course hermione thinks to change her face, but neville would not 🙄 stupid stupid stupid
•The rebels had 2 lessons with Draco and miraculously they alllll became better duelist than the death eaters twice their age. Bravo 💥
•Rebels with no talent or training using Avada Kedavra like everyone learned it in school is, not gonna lie, the most OOC trait in this story.
So! for the positive! The story was somewhat entertaining. The war scenes were good, but to few.
That’s about it!
Long fanfiction ranking:
1. Manacled 5/5⭐️
2. The Disappearance of Draco Malfoy 5/5 ⭐️
3. The Auction 4,5/5
4. Isolation 3,75/5
5. The Right Thing To Do 3/5
6. Cruel and Beautiful World 2,75/5
7. Perfectly In Pieces 2,5/5
8. All The Wrong Things 2,5/5
This is NOT a ennemies-to-lovers dramione.
This is a fucked-up-strangers-to-fuckfriend-really-too-fast story filled with slutshaming.
Hermione is sooo OOC. And the way her trauma is endled…. Nahhhhh. Wayyyy tooooo fast without a single care in the world (trigger: rape). You would think someone with 4 years of non-stop abuse would have somewhat of a PTSD? Anxiety? Flashbacks? Nop, all she has is 2 or 3 nightmare and way too much libido!
Draco is.. okay. I mean I don’t get why he fell in love with Hermione so fast in the first place, but the second part of the story was better. He is one of the worst in the slutshaming, but it is in his character arc so I accept a part of it. The problem is that there is NO EVOLUTION. The slutshaming in the beginning is the same aallllllll the way to the last chapters.
Yes, the worst part has to be the slut shaming: every women is just a mean to get pleasure to the men. I should have kept a count the number of times the GOOD guys called a regular girl a « whore ». It is just plainly disgusting. THIS BOOK DID NOT AGE WELL!
Here’s my tribute to all the gorgeous and perfect woman that were called sluts for absolutely no reasons:
•Astoria (a whore and a virgin a the same time so hawt 🤪😡)
•Lucy (sleeping with 2 men is disgusting immarite ?! 🫢😡)
•Pansy (for being in love with Draco)
•Fiona (a brainwashed slave with stocholm syndrom EWWWW THE WORST such a whore!)
•All the other unamed « slags » and believe me, there were SO MANY!
The people that had the most amount of sex in this book were Draco and Theo, with so many different woman nobody can count, and they were never, NEVER, called out for their toxic behavior! If misogyny was a book…
If you want to read this book, brace yourselves : nothing happens for 80% of it. It’s a war AU where Voldy wins, but you can’t feel it for the vast majority of the book. The characters just enjoy their blissfull time together in ignorance lol. Here are my receipts:
« The reason I asked Potter why he thought he lost is because I know something is coming. We need to be prepared and we’re not »
« Well… » said Hermione, looking up in thought. « Then the solution is simple. »
« And what is that? » asked Draco.
Hermione looked down at him and smirked wickedly. « We prepare for war. »
PAGE 758 !!!
ABOUT TIME WTH!!
Skipping to another major problem:
The world building is pretty… stupid 😅 lots of mistakes were made (beta readers hello?)
•Voldemort: « yeah everyone is stuck in london no one can’t get out hehe I am such a bad guy 🤟🏼 »
Also voldemort: « yeah we will stop using Hogwards express. People will just figure out how to get there by themselves.»
The people: yeah we can’t get out of London dumbass 🤐
(That has to be my fav mistake it is soooo stupid 😂)
•Draco complains about his wand being checked every morning, so he can’t do all the magic freely like he wants, BUT! he has another one under the radar but never used it in 4 years 😂he just burry it with his mother corpse 🙄 before giving it to Hermione for absolutely no reason.
•Draco hides planty of rebels that wants to go to the resistance in another flat, but keeps hermione in his flat. No logic there but help the author achieve the stockolm syndrome she wanted. 😓
•He sees neville in the black market and recognize his face. Of course hermione thinks to change her face, but neville would not 🙄 stupid stupid stupid
•The rebels had 2 lessons with Draco and miraculously they alllll became better duelist than the death eaters twice their age. Bravo 💥
•Rebels with no talent or training using Avada Kedavra like everyone learned it in school is, not gonna lie, the most OOC trait in this story.
So! for the positive! The story was somewhat entertaining. The war scenes were good, but to few.
That’s about it!
Long fanfiction ranking:
1. Manacled 5/5⭐️
2. The Disappearance of Draco Malfoy 5/5 ⭐️
3. The Auction 4,5/5
4. Isolation 3,75/5
5. The Right Thing To Do 3/5
6. Cruel and Beautiful World 2,75/5
7. Perfectly In Pieces 2,5/5
8. All The Wrong Things 2,5/5
January 18, 2024
wasted nearly two weeks reading 1400 pages. the only remarkable aspect of this book was theo’s personality and bronson was kinda funny. taking a break from dramione fics 👎😔
April 21, 2021
I liked it and it was sweet. Especially Bronston <3. However, it just didn't live up to my expectations. The plot was weak as well as the Dramione aspect. I don't know why it's a cult classic Dramione fic. My emotions never felt destroyed and I didn't cry.
I also felt like a lot of characters just didn't make sense. So many death eaters defect and betray Voldemort. Why? We are really not given much explanation. Draco also says twice in the book that his idea on blood purity hasn't changed and he still believes purebloods are superior to muggle borns but that he just doesn't think muggle borns should be treated as slaves. Like okay? That was his view at the beginning and his view at the end.
Essentially, falling in love with Hermione did nothing to Draco's development as a character. He never changed, never grew. Even Hermione didn't really either, all she does is just get better mentally a bit and then forgive literally everyone who has hurt her.
The people who hurt her for YEARS all of a sudden just become better people for NO reason. Pansy just heals all of the scars she gave Hermione. Why? There's no way that would've happened. Also Lucius Malfoy at the end? What made him change? Literally nothing. What he did to Hermione was awful and horrible and it wasn't properly addressed how he just became a good person and why he was so readily forgiven. And worst of all, Rulphous's love toward Hermione. What the hell happened to him at the end there. It was like the author couldn't figure out how to get Hermione out of that situation so she decided to pull a super fast one and change his character so much. IDK I've read a lot of Dramione fanfics that were mind-blowing and amazing and this just wasn't one of them.
For being the longest fanfic I've ever read (Literally the length of half the entire Harry Potter original works) there was little to no character development and the plot was meh at best.
I also felt like a lot of characters just didn't make sense. So many death eaters defect and betray Voldemort. Why? We are really not given much explanation. Draco also says twice in the book that his idea on blood purity hasn't changed and he still believes purebloods are superior to muggle borns but that he just doesn't think muggle borns should be treated as slaves. Like okay? That was his view at the beginning and his view at the end.
Essentially, falling in love with Hermione did nothing to Draco's development as a character. He never changed, never grew. Even Hermione didn't really either, all she does is just get better mentally a bit and then forgive literally everyone who has hurt her.
The people who hurt her for YEARS all of a sudden just become better people for NO reason. Pansy just heals all of the scars she gave Hermione. Why? There's no way that would've happened. Also Lucius Malfoy at the end? What made him change? Literally nothing. What he did to Hermione was awful and horrible and it wasn't properly addressed how he just became a good person and why he was so readily forgiven. And worst of all, Rulphous's love toward Hermione. What the hell happened to him at the end there. It was like the author couldn't figure out how to get Hermione out of that situation so she decided to pull a super fast one and change his character so much. IDK I've read a lot of Dramione fanfics that were mind-blowing and amazing and this just wasn't one of them.
For being the longest fanfic I've ever read (Literally the length of half the entire Harry Potter original works) there was little to no character development and the plot was meh at best.
December 4, 2021
It hurts, I really tried. But I got about 50% through and just couldn't do it anymore. There are some aspects of the story that bothered me. And I can't understand how there is action but it also feels like there is nothing happening at the same time. I think the scenes are just too long and drawn out. Hermione and Draco felt very instanta-love and I got to the point where I was just living for Theo's story.
I want to finish it and I want to know how it ends and I will come back to it but right now I feel like I can't read something else until I admit to myself that I need to walk away from this.
I want to finish it and I want to know how it ends and I will come back to it but right now I feel like I can't read something else until I admit to myself that I need to walk away from this.
September 29, 2023
give me 2 business days to recover (dw it's a HEA though)
This, secrets and masks, and manacled are now my top 3 dramione EVER so I guess I have a thing for Voldemort wins AUs
this wasn't a perfect story by any means BUT THE WAY IT WAS CRAFTED and I will not listen to a single word against it it's perfect in my eyes. It was so beautiful and the characters and draco and hermione's romance?!?! It was different to every other dramione relationship I've read, it was so HEARTWARMING I ACTUALLY MELTED. Draco's character was pure perfection, I love love loveeee me a snarky sassy Draco and he was that for sure.
This, secrets and masks, and manacled are now my top 3 dramione EVER so I guess I have a thing for Voldemort wins AUs
this wasn't a perfect story by any means BUT THE WAY IT WAS CRAFTED and I will not listen to a single word against it it's perfect in my eyes. It was so beautiful and the characters and draco and hermione's romance?!?! It was different to every other dramione relationship I've read, it was so HEARTWARMING I ACTUALLY MELTED. Draco's character was pure perfection, I love love loveeee me a snarky sassy Draco and he was that for sure.
February 21, 2025
It certainly isn’t perfect but made me happy
January 23, 2022
I wish I could give this more than 5 stars cause it was amazing. Not only was it the best fanfiction I have ever read, it’s one of the best stories I’ve ever read. Everything was so beautifully written: the romance, the action, the overall plot. All amazing. I might have spoke too soon when I said breath mints and battle scars is my fave dramione cause this honestly is something else.
September 3, 2024
I can honestly say I never want to read another word from this author ever again in my life. This book had so much potential. I thought I would rate it a solid 4 stars but the more I read the more the story was ruined. First off, the book is way too long. Second, the dialogue is so repetitive and boring. Third, how many fucking redemption arches are we going to have ????? There are multiple rapists, most of which are allowed to be forgiven for some odd reason and one of the more likable characters technically sexually assaults someone. What Bronson does with Theo isn’t consensual or okay. The horcrux are randomly throw into the mix and explained in two pages then 15 chapters later, surprise, Bellatrix (who btw strongly supports her husband being a rapist, and wants to rape Bronson) is a horcrux too ! All of the whining and crying and boring sex scenes. Harry is weak, Ginny is a werewolf & Ron is his typical horrid self. Hermione is crying in every single chapter and everyone can apparently just side step killing curses. This book was extremely immature and childish at times. The amount of temper tantrums thrown and the language. Draco bringing multiple women home. The cigarettes. The way no one really properly flips out over how the death eaters treated women. The constant build up to the confrontations between Ron Draco harry ginny Theo Bronson quigley Lucius and even Voldemort all for them to be so incredibly underwhelming and just cringe or lame. I hated the author’s little notes in each chapter and her playlist for the big battle was shite.
Booktok has failed me yet again.
Booktok has failed me yet again.
March 26, 2023
Read here: https://ia803009.us.archive.org/32/it...
I love every fanfic that has Draco turning sides... this one was fabulous. It was a lot darker than most so a little tough to read in some parts, but the writing was well done. The character additions were beautiful. I liked the veil references! And the ending broke my heart a bit. I recommend it for anyone that is a fan of Hermione/Draco fanfictions.
I love every fanfic that has Draco turning sides... this one was fabulous. It was a lot darker than most so a little tough to read in some parts, but the writing was well done. The character additions were beautiful. I liked the veil references! And the ending broke my heart a bit. I recommend it for anyone that is a fan of Hermione/Draco fanfictions.
February 26, 2023
DNF. I was very disappointed, couldn’t even bring myself to finish. It is so obviously badly written. There is an art to writing interactions between characters and an art in most effectively modeling their behaviors with each other. And it just wasn’t there. The plot was definitely intriguing but the writing sadly made it too frustrating to continue. Plot holes, slut shaming, and trauma glossing galore. Would not recommend.
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