All Our Secrets Laid Bare

by Firethesound

Fandom: Harry Potter
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Harry Potter/Original Male Character(s)
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Over the six years Draco Malfoy has been an Auror, four of his partners have turned up dead. Harry Potter is assigned as his newest partner to investigate just what is going on.

Genres: Fan Fiction, Fantasy, M M Romance, Romance, Harry Potter, Magic, Fiction

344 pages, ebook

Published February 23, 2014

About the author

Fanfiction author

Reviews

[Jes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve made the executive decision that if a fic is as long as a published romance novel or longer, it counts towards my reading challenge. Only God can judge me.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi, apparently I am a pretty damn fierce Drarry-shipper *waves awkwardly*

ALL OUR SECRETS LAID BARE is exactly what I look for in a fanfic - fun, entertaining, and sexy. It had me smiling, laughing and snorting -- a lot...!!! ( though, there were also times when I felt a bit nervous) and yeah, even did an actual face palm once, b/c Oblivious Harry.

Also, Immaculate Draco and Slob Harry?! - YAAAAS!!! It's exactly how I've always pictured them!

[RRK · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's it about?

Harry potter fan-fiction shipping Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.

Synopsis

The story follows a few years after the canonical story. Both Draco and Harry are aurors and this is the romance between them with a small mystery twist.

What worked?

Off the bat I adored the writing. It's excellent. If you had given me a bound-up version of this book I wouldn't have believed it to be a fanfic. The quality is impeccable. Whoever edited this deserves a raise.
The author has kept the characters fairly true to their canonical characterization and honestly gay Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy makes more sense to me than the other fanfic pairings. I also loved Ron's characterization. He was brilliant in this story.

The chemistry between Draco and Harry was spectacular and was the kind of slow-burn I enjoy. Is there too much gratuitous sex in the second half of the book? Yes. Did I instinctively skim entire chunks of the material? Yes. But, I also understand that, that's the point of fanfics. People can bring their imaginations to life and sex is a prop that probably makes it that much more lively.

I was really happy that Ginny makes no appearance whatsoever in this book. If I couldn't tolerate one character in the Harry potter series it was her. I never shipped Ron and Hermione too, but in this novel I grudgingly respected their relationship.

What didn't work?

There was no depth to any characters other than Harry, Draco, and Ron. I wanted more on Mrs. Dodson. Who was she? Why did she have a soft spot for Draco? What happened to Smith? To Narcissa?

The end felt anti-climactic and the epilogue was super cringey.

Conclusion

Overall this was an excellent read! Would you obsess over it? Maybe not. But, you'll enjoy it, if you want:
• A quick and easy read.
• To jump back into the harry potter world.
• A good laugh and a heartwarming story.

This fan-fiction is leagues ahead of the 1000's of sub-par novels that grace the library and book shop shelves every single year.

Why are fanfics so under-rated? Why aren't publishers reaching out to the author and publishing it? Ok, I agree this is based off of the Harry potter series and is a grey area. But, as a reader I only care about good stories and such gems staying hidden seems criminal to me. I have similar thoughts on Manacled by the way. I am constantly amazed at how insanely talented certain fanfic writers are. I sincerely hope they are encouraged and supported. Frankly they deserve far more adulation than they get.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such lovely writing, a great storyline with relationship build up and a great resolution.
I giggled like a school girl at parts and swooned on others.

Fanfic may not be for everyone but I find it such an interesting genre and love different author’s twists with well-loved characters.

I’ll be looking for more of this author’s work- I loved it!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

yuh, slay

[Yasmin :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"There are days when I feel like I'm barely holding myself together. Perhaps that's why we're so good together. You understand me like no one else." He leaned his shoulder heavily against Harry's. "And I understand you."
Harry thought so too, and was glad. Because they really did understand each other. They fit together perfectly.”

“Everything would be okay. He and Draco would be fine.
Harry just had to believe that everything would work out okay in the end.”



This was so good!!! I love love love post war auror drarry fics🙏.

I loved Harry and Draco’s characterisation. I loved Ron’s devotion to Harry and the regular people that Harry and Draco helped in their auror work. I didn’t love the smut… I was scrolling fast, it felt like as soon as they became a couple their gentle intimacy was just replaced with constant shagging.

A good read however!

[Maiko-chan [|]]

This author has stated on their AO3 profile that they don't want themselves or their fic on GR so if it gets deleted and you lose your review this is why.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good, but didn’t enjoy it as much as a few of the others I’ve been reading.

[dead_g1rl_walking · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really, really good story. I liked that it took its time, neither rush nor dragged out their relationship. I love the tension and that it had more content than just the love story. I'm also a huge sucker for the auror trope. Maybe the ending felt a little bit rushed, but I'm willing to forgive that. So all in all 10 out of 10 read!

[chiara · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok but wtf does ‘trying once more for a daughter mean?’

[Renée · Rating 5 out of 5]

ugh I love a good fanfic

[opal · Rating 3 out of 5]

really liked the part before they got together but got a bit boring after that

[The Scarecrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way fanfic-Malfoy gets me giggling and kicking my feet should be studied, probably by a licensed psychiatrist.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't understand this was an AMAZING READ

[Victoria Cazcarro · Rating 2 out of 5]

odio que drarry sea pastelón necesito que se lien tras darse de ostias no acepto otra cosa

[Midnight Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, romantic, hot, really funny... I liked the characterizations of both Harry and Draco, they fit incredibly well together. Ron was also absolutely amazing in this story :) I liked the idea of the tattoos and the safe houses. Plus, there was a nice build-up and a good amount of tension and drama, but not so much that it completely broke my heart :D

[Anastasia ⋆｡☽˚｡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

ALL OUR SECRETS LAID BARE is exactly what I look for in a fanfic - fun, entertaining, and sexy. It had me smiling, laughing and snorting -- a lot...!!! ( though, there were also times when I felt a bit nervous) and yeah, even did an actual face palm once, b/c Oblivious Harry.

[☾⋆⁺ Nurse After Dark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Content Rating: Explicit
Setting: Post War
Tags: auror partners, virgin Draco, delicious PINING, secrets,

It was nice to have someone treat him like the Auror he'd grown up to be, for a change. Draco clamped down on that train of thought before it could continue. He already had this stupid physical attraction to Potter. No need to encourage it.

The main characters in this book were all my favorite versions as grown ups - messy, powerful Harry, pristine, immaculate Draco. Even Ron and Hermione's characterization were my favorite version of them - involved in their own lives but still hang as a group, and mostly mature/adult reactions to anything involving the last name 'Malfoy'.

The faint awkwardness. The warmth. The flutters in his belly. The thrill of Harry's smile and his laugh and the damned urge to kiss him. This didn't feel like parting ways with a coworker after a pub night. This didn't feel like saying goodnight to a friend after an evening out. This felt like a bloody date.

The underlying mystery/plot was actually quite good, I enjoyed reading about the death eater safe houses and waiting for the moment Harry's 'top secret assignment' backfired on him! The unravelling of spells and training Harry does was reminiscent of Transfigurations, another favorite of mine! I did (somewhere in Chapter 6) highlight myself a note suggesting who the 'bad guy' was - though it wasn't super obvious and I still enjoyed it all coming to an end.

For a moment, he marveled at the fact that it was possible to want to both punch someone in the face and snog them breathless at the same time, but that was just Draco, wasn't it?

The relationship progression was slow burn and then so deliciously spicy, I really enjoy this authors writing style! There was great tension in the first half, and the pining, dear lord, I was pining along with them before things finally happened! And I am a total sucker for playful-in-bed Harry and virgin!Draco it seems...

Another thing I'm really enjoying about this writer is some of the little details they spin into their works that I haven't really seen anywhere else. Such as Draco's tattoos or the sly use of the concussion curse while training to say some things to Harry that he couldn't say out loud properly yet ;)

I'll be continuing my quest to read most of this authors works soon!

[Andreea · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars! The writing is impeccable!

A few weeks ago, randomly, my husband asked me if I've ever read Drarry fanfiction (because he knows I am big on Dramione fanfiction) and I haven't... then as I was browsing Dramione images on Pinterest, I find some Drarry ones and that was a slippery slope into me changing my favourite fanfic pair. BECAUSE IT MAKES SO MUCH MORE SENSE! I mean Draco is a "snarky blond Hermione" so obviously he fits better with Harry than Hermione (although there are aspects to him and Hermione that I also enjoy, but Drarry has my undivided attention for now) and I never saw Harry with Ginny (or anyone else, especially a girl - also I think Ginny is gay, she just is!) so... Yeah, long story short, I love Drarry now!

And All Our Secrets Laid Bare was the perfect introduction to the pair. It's a slow burn office romance (they are both Aurors and work together as partners) and I could not read anything else until I was done with it. It took me longer than expected because I was on a family vacation and I was forced to be social, but once I got home I read the second half in one evening, ruining my bedtime, as one does when reading fanfiction.

This is the first fanfic where I actually like Ron. As I said, the writing is amazing and the chemistry between our leads is chef's kiss. I loved it, and I loved the spicy scenes - but the build up to get there was so much better. I even liked the epilogue - look, I hate epilogues in fanfiction (and romance novels in general) because more often than not it ends with marriage or babies or whatever, but this one was set 14 years in the future and all that marriage and kids makes much more sense. I did not mind it.

Now I am off to read some one-shots of the author.

[Devon Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so this is the most professionally written fanfic I have ever read. It wouldn’t be hard to convince me that this author writes professionally in some capacity.

I liked the first 3/4 of the book and the reason why my enjoyment falters towards the end is that I am not a big fan of slooooooooow burn and then constant sex for 5 chapters.

Too many sex scenes and it starts to get very repetitive and boring and you start forgetting why you shipped them in the first place because you’re just wincing at all the bodily fluids and the panting and the frantic fornicating. I get it, but a little goes a long way.

Also, the plot is very, very predictable in many ways….parts of it read like a romance novel template. This isn’t necessarily bad, there is comfort in familiarity, but that coupled with the incessant sex has left me uninspired to finish the last 75 pages or so that I have left (I will probably just skim the sex stuff to see what happens…tho I’m pretty certain I can guess)

I give this five stars though because it hooked me right in, the writing was great and the pacing wasn’t glacial like so many fanfics can be. I also enjoyed the characterizations of HP and DM and felt they were believable. It’s a really strong fic I’m glad I read it!

[Kass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for the Read Harder Challenge 2021 prompt #6: read a fanfic

All Our Secrets Laid Bare , a deliriously sweet story about Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy falling in love as Auror partners, when Harry is supposed to be investigating Draco for murder, had me from beginning to end.

I've always had the opinion that Draco's story in canon is so unfinished and so I really enjoyed all the work this fic does to complete Draco's story, and how real it all felt. The characters all were so well-done and felt like matured versions of their canon selves. Harry and Draco's banter was top-tier, and I loved Ron in this.

My one gripe is that when Draco and Harry finally get together, the plot gets completely lost for a couple chapters. I get that this is a slow-burn smut story, but even after the long wait the amount of sex scenes crammed into only a few chapters was really too much.

The story gets back on track eventually and wraps up so so nicely, though there are a few loose threads here and there. But this was thoroughly incredible and one of the best fanfictions I've ever read!

[Chalilodimun Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was just incredible! I've read it all in like two days, I couldn't put it down. If I didn't have work, I would have read until the end of the night!
I love their relationship, I think that so far it's one of the best I've read. I love that they were pinning so much for each other and that Draco was very aware that Harry had feelings for him. I love the little lady with the junk shop, it gave some the best scenes.
I feel that there should have been another chapter however. I would have liked to see the discussion between Harry and Draco about Harry investigating him. And what about Draco's feelings about his father? And Smith, I was so sure that something would happen with him but the Chekhov's gun didn't fire. And the car with the potions, what happened in the end?
But it still is a very very great story that I enjoyed very much! I just love Harry and Draco and all the story with their work and all.

[Maria Drago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good things:
- incredibly good writing, good pacing, great voice
- plausible plot (practically unheard of in fanfictions), a surprising twist
- spicy romance
- started off really strong in the first few chapters

Meh things:
- some cheesiness here and there just verging on cringey, especially in the second half
- maybe a bit of overkill on the romantic bits

Overall, I'm surprised that I read a fanfiction and a well done one at that. If you're looking for Drarry, this is the place to get it.

Second time read:
Better than I remember?? Perhaps.
This story is just so well told. I love all the inside jokes we become a part of and all the meaningful little gestures. The last few chapters get particularly engaging, although the whole thing is super captivating.
One minus, I think, is the epilogue. It felt unnecessary and overly cheesy, and a bit difficult to believe.
But other than that, probably one of the best fanfictions out there.

[meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

All Our Secrets Laid Bare: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Firethesound

Tropes:
– Draco/Harry fanfiction
– Workplace romance (Auror partners)
– Enemies to lovers
– Romantic suspense

When four of Auror Draco's last partners turn up dead, Harry's assigned to investigate what's going on.

I ADORED THIS!! It was so good. The banter between them was 10/10 and seeing the shift from the animosity to begrudging friendship to something more was so good. Even though you could all see the third act conflict coming, the way it was handled was truly *chefs kiss*. I loved Harry in this (I always love Draco)–his teasing nature, his flirty remarks, his carnal need for Draco... ugh, delicious. I loved this one so much and will ABSOLUTELY be reading more from this author.

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars 🌟. This fic was very light and breezy when I thought it was going to be much more intense.

To start off, Draco being the taller one in this fic between him and Harry was really weird to me (I for some reason always imagined Harry to be the taller one).

I swear to god that Harry at a foot fetish coz bro kept bring up Draco’s feet, ankles, and bloody toes.

This fic didn’t have many serious aspects plot wise other than what was said in the summary (there wasn’t much else extra to the plot other than the whole dead painters thing) and that kinda of bored me a bit :(.

Lastly, the spice was spicing as expected 🤭.

Overall, this fic was mostly entertaining but a bit boring with quite a bit of fluff and cheekiness :).

[arta ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

let's ignore the fact that i'm reviewing a drarry fic with a rating 'E', ok? :)
i loved the plot, although the big reveal wasn't really a surprise (i mean, i didn't know who was the one behind the murders, but i had a suspicion)
basically, i just loved everything about this fic, the scenes at the pub, the indian food, draco's characterization, the tattoos, the OCs, the safe houses!!! the blood magic!!!!, ron's level-headedness, just every single detail. it's definitely one of the top 5 fanfics i've ever read!

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Malfoy slammed the door as he left, and Harry scowled after him. After a moment, he used a quick Accio to bring his briefcase over to him, and after a few seconds of rooting around in it, he found a ballpoint pen.

Uncapping it, he set it to the parchment before him and wrote out,
'Draco Malfoy is an enormous bastard.' And because he was sitting here in his Muggle clothes and writing with a Muggle pen, he went ahead and finished it off with a Muggle reference as he continued to write, 'And he thoroughly deserves to have a house dropped on him.' “ ❤️‍🩹

[EmmaG19 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite fics of the month of August in my little book club. Drarry are slowly becoming one of my top ships and this is a great story. There was enough lore to give it a good background and build the world but not too much that I felt like I couldn't focus and lost track of the actual relationship in the fic. The pacing was done really well once again. Characters were written true as well. I really enjoyed this one!

[♡Shar♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was certainly a roller-coaster of a novel, heading up, up, up then your heart just dropping near the end (in a VERY good way). This story was so heartwarming and really worth a good read if you are feeling a little saucy that day. I absolutely loved the ending and the storyline, how it all came together and the relationship progression was written beautifully. The annoyed glances turned to loving ones and that just filled my heart with glee.

[Célia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it so much, loved how they shared their secret like kids trading cards, without any fuss and simply stating the fact. "Watching"them build their relation little by little, caring for each other and that it was so sweet and yet a bit bitter thanks to Harry still being on Draco's case but anyway it was the right amount of fluff, thriller, ansgt and smexy.