Darkly Loyal

by Keira Marcos

They call him Blackmoor. They call him a dark lord. They only have themselves to blame for the man Harry Potter became. When the Light strikes a personal blow in their efforts to control him, Harry will risk everything to take back the life stolen from him.

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Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Harry Potter/Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Word Count: 181,154 (Complete)

Genres: Fan Fiction, Harry Potter, Magic

618 pages, Online Fanfiction

First published December 23, 2018

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry Potter fanfiction. Not for everyone.

[Lexie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was...hmm. I didn't see the tension maybe. They were always so far ahead of everyone --friend or foe. Everything felt inevitable and while I enjoyed a lot of how it ended up, their OP status made it less engaging then I've been led to believe.

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hesitated about even starting this particularly dark time-travel-~fixit~ AU fanfiction, but it drew me in quickly, and I can't deny that I did enjoy it, even though I felt guilty for some of the things it made me giggle about, such as people getting tossed into a volcano (offstage). N.b., I decided not to include my fantasy_humorous category when shelving this, because I don't generally go for dark humor, which much — though NOT all — of the laughs here are.

Do heed the warning tags and author's note on the site: it has a grim beginning, and there are a LOT of deaths among their enemies, including character-bashed Dumbledore (their primary antagonist, whose twisted goals and machinations occupy more of their thoughts and rage than Riddle does) and likewise a number of Weasleys et al. I was kind holding my breath the way you do watching video of a disaster, for fear of just how dark one or more of the lead trio might go, but I can reassure you that anyone they or their elves threaten, hurt and/or eliminate permanently deserve what they get.

There are a number of clever, intriguing developments, such as revelations about magic, the Hallows, and what/who has been influencing magical society. There are also serious, painful emotions, mixed — sometimes oddly — with love (the darkness and violence is never between them, though their backstory includes a complicated start with some miscommunication and jealousy) and banter, including some fun moments with ~innocent~ schoolmates.

(I keep thinking, "Oh, I should add something about X, or Y," but I really want to avoid spoilers.)

The end has satisfying resolution, and the epilogue shows them finally getting their chance to enjoy a fairly "ordinary" (for gifted magicals) happy ending.

(Oh, incidentally, just how developed are the barn owl owlets supposed to be? If they're fully fledged, like the cute photo labeled Branwell, i.e., no longer fuzzy, why does Harry keep referring to him as being so small? I wonder if Ms. Marcos doesn't realize that fledglings are already about the full size of their elegant parents.)

As usual for this author, the writing is generally good, though with occasional minor goofs (such as "dispersions" for "aspersions", one error among several which I've seen from Ms. Marcos repeatedly — her insistence on "no unsolicited beta" probably means no one has ever clued her in!), and certainly lots of adult language.

Overall, this story will definitely not be to everyone's taste, but I don't regret having read it.

[Erratic Bookish Teapot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. While the characters were presented in a way that is out of character for their Canon personalities, I felt like the author did a great job developing the personality traits of each character in a manner that was both justified and gradual enough to be realistic. I really enjoyed the development of the house elves as well. I thought that the author did a wonderful job portraying characters that are traditionally thought of as good guy type characters in a dark manner. Where the book lost me a little bit was with the development of the secret society in the last few chapters. While it did a lot to develop the darker aspects and the reasons why all of the incidents happened in the beginning of the story it did feel rushed in several places. At one point the characters just continuously attack characters that say the exact same things over and over again which was a bit repetitive. I understand they were basically cleansing their society of the darker elements that were a threat to them personally, but it didn't seem as fleshed out as the rest of the story.

[Keri Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good read. I had a hard time putting it down. I loved how dark and all the murders that were involved. I, big into Dramoine but I enjoyed the golden Trinity. I definitely recommend this book.

[DayDreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

bashing, clichés, murder, conspiracies, orders within other orders etc. In other words, not everyone's cup of tea.

Will probably read again.

[mirabilos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty great and only sometimes feels like ticking off a list.

I could have done without the smoking, though. Use Calming Draughts, they are already established.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

KM is one of my favorite fanfic authors although she has not done any in a while (at least HP). I love this story but D&W stole the show.

[Daphne Klein · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I was like Huh? and then I loved it. Great story!

[Ceilidhchaos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has officially surpassed 14000 galleons as my favorite Harry x Draco x Hermione triad story. They are definitely Dark and the Order and Voldemort don't know what hit them. Some adult scenes, violence, and Dobby vs Winky house Elf murder competition

[Elizabet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Branwell the Owlet is very cute! *squee* & Frances is precious! And, of course, their children also.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant.