Ocean of Storms

by Brief_and_Dreamy

Fandom: Harry Potter
Relationship: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
--------------------------------------------------
The war is over and Harry has returned to help rebuild Hogwarts. He longs to move forwards, but the past refuses to let him go. The castle is full of ghosts: haunting nightmares, the deaths he couldn't prevent, and the age-old rivalry that Draco Malfoy seems determined to maintain.

Words: 113187

Genres: Fan Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

386 pages, ebook

Published July 25, 2019

Reviews

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5. This is the one. I adore this story so much. Do yourself a favor and read it if you haven't yet.

This work made me genuinely so happy. Some bits I adored (I adored a lot): Harry's love for Ron and Hermione. Their friendship. Their voices; I don't usually care about side characters but this made me really like Theo and Astoria for example; Loved Dumbledore; Snape made me mad but I loved it; Hagrid! His absence was acknowledged. I love it when that happens in (8th year) fics. Usually he is totally ignored (which I hate because I love him); The ghosts! So sad, so angsty, but wonderfully original idea.

Wonderful writing. Attention to detail is beautiful. Characters are spot on and writing shows deep understanding of (and for) characters, their emotions and motivations; Plausible plotty story. Humor, sexy times, hurt and comfort. Everything feels so real.

All in all a joy to read from beginning to end. I enjoyed it with a huge smile on my face (except for chapter 11 which made me cry my eyes out but that's a good thing too!).

Definitely one of my favorite stories and probably the best 8th year fic I've read (in the top three for sure).

Some bits I adored:


Almost tearful, he shook his head and said, 'I want you. I want you, I want you.'

'Salazar,' said Malfoy, his voice shaky. 'You've got me.'

*

Harry didn't know what he felt, just that he felt too much of it; warm, pulsing energy woven through his body like arteries, making him tingle with terror and elation. Malfoy was not a nice person, there was no getting around it. He could be mean, superior without reason, and deeply selfish. But there was something soft in him, deep down. Something that made Harry ache when he thought about it. Malfoy's pain and his damage. Harry could see it, how Malfoy cared what Harry thought of him. How hard he tried to please, how he lit up when he succeeded and despaired when he failed. And he made Harry laugh. He made him happy.

*

It wasn't that Harry liked Malfoy now. He just couldn’t stand to see him in pain. He just felt better when he was near. He just thought about him all the time. He didn't like him. He liked his smooth, pale skin, his silky hair, and clever lips. He liked his haughty accent and the way the elegance of his movements dissolved when he was excited. He liked the radiance of his eyes. He liked his layers, the whole puzzle of him, the itching curiosity he inspired. He didn't like Malfoy. He di–

*

'Better looking…' He searched for the right word. He'd never considered whether or not Malfoy was objectively attractive. His looks had been obscured by too many layers of horrid git when they'd been at school. But now… High, sharp cheekbones, his nose, sloping to an elegant point. Eyes that spoke of his mood, despite his best efforts. Harry liked the way Malfoy looked. He enjoyed looking at him. To him, Malfoy was lovely. 'You're fit,' he said, because he wasn't going to say that.

*

Laughing, Harry brushed his thumb over Malfoy's cheek, just to touch him.

*

His love for them beat hard in his heart, along with a fresh burn of guilt. He owed them so much for their help and their care, for giving him the strength he'd needed to be brave. Abandoning them now would be brutally cruel. He let his hands fall back to his lap. Beneath his turmoil shone a light, a tiny globe of happiness and wonder that anyone cared about him that much. That he could be loved at all, much less so fiercely.

Harry didn't want to hurt them. He didn't want to leave them.

And you don't want to leave Draco either, reminded the voice at the back of his head. My god, he didn't. How unfair would it be to lose him so soon? How unjust to let Harry taste this joy but not be allowed to hold on to it? He wondered how Draco would feel if he… Well, if Harry died. How deeply it would hurt him. He honestly had no idea.

Those were reasons for him not to do it. And they were good reasons. Compelling. Unignorable.

And yet…

He looked back up at Dumbledore and said what he feared. 'Maybe this is why I survived. To do this.'

*

It was time to go. He didn't want to. Dumbledore gazed down at him with an expression that made that globe of light at Harry's centre glow brighter.

'I miss you,' Harry whispered.

'I know,' Dumbledore replied, with a warm smile. 'But remember what we once discussed. If you're able to draw on my memory in times of trouble, which I hope is the case, then I've never really left. I'm alive in you, Harry, in your memory of me.'

*

He longed to see Teddy. To smell him, to see his smile. To spend time with someone uncomplicated. Someone he could love without thinking about it.

*

All of that. And Harry felt no bitterness, only longing for the boy who tugged at his hair to calm him down, who made him laugh, who drove him mad with desire. Who could be a mean, self-centred snob. Who'd risked death to stop his friend from sacrificing her life. Who'd crossed the veil because Harry'd said, I should have let you die. The boy who never stopped surprising him. Who was trying to claw his way out of his upbringing. The boy who Harry loved with a force so hard it hurt.

*

The hand squeezed. Harry choked, no longer able to sing. One foot in front of the other. They'd get there, they'd make it back to the archway. And it would let them back out again. Draco would be okay, he'd be alive. He couldn't die because of Harry, because he'd made another stupid mistake.

*

They were close enough that Harry could clearly see the dark grey craters in Draco's irises. He remembered something from class: ancient astronomers had mistaken the dark planes of the moon for bodies of water. 'Lunar mare.' Observing the moon from afar, they'd been deceived. It was only a closer look that revealed its true nature. The craters remained named after seas. Mare Anguis–Serpent Sea. Mare Nectaris–Sea of Nectar. Oceanus Procellarum–Ocean of Storms. Harry wanted to dive in and float. 'You're beautiful,' he said, and didn't feel embarrassed about it.

*

He was on the verge of falling asleep, when Draco spoke, softly, as if he were whispering a prayer. 'Harry.'

'Mmm?'

'Just trying it out,' said Draco. 'Your name.'

[Tobe · Rating 5 out of 5]

There may be better Drarry fic out there, but this one gets me. Not technically year 8, but still the action’s at Hogwarts and combines a delicious blend of angst, fluff and silliness that made me cackle like a hyena. This will definitely be a reread.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all the drarry fanfics that i've read 'till now (not that much tbh), this is the one that is, in mi opinion, closer to how they would become a couple if Rowling wasn't ya know, a little bit problematic. Anyway, here all the characters still have their original personalities, which means Draco is a little bit of an ass, but fair enough. I like him just like that. And Harry... sometimes i wanted to kick him in the nuts when he was hurting Draco, lack of malice notwithstanding...
But in the end, the sexy times and the sweetness of it won my heart. <3
And that Harry in fact wanted to know and accept Draco as he was, with all his flaws, melted my heart. Other fanfics try to portray him as a good boy that was really misunderstood. But let's be honest: Draco was an idiot. A lovely one, but still an idiot. What i'm trying to say (with little to no success) is that 10 out of 10 for the theme and message of this story. <3 <3 <3
There is soooo much that i want to say about this fanfic, but i have to go to study like, right about now, so i guess that's all Folks!