Secrets and Masks

by Emerald_Slytherin

9 years after the battle of Hogwarts, the war still rages on and everyone is much changed since their days at Hogwarts.

Hermione is the most lethal soldier in The Order, spending her days on rescue missions to free captured Muggleborn slaves and fight on the front line.
For years, she's been meeting in secret with a spy within Voldemort's ranks to exchange information.

But, when she's captured and made prisoner at Malfoy Manor, of all the dark and evil ways she'd envisioned Malfoy would torture her, she never quite imagined anything this horrific.

Genres: Fan Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Dark Romance, Dark, Romantasy

1399 pages, ebook

First published June 23, 2021

Reviews

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one talk to me

[m · Rating 5 out of 5]

you know when the breakdown is so bad u wake up the next day dehydrated and dead? Yeah that’s exactly how you’re supposed to cry when reading this

[Sha · Rating 5 out of 5]

75 chapters / 467k words

Wizarding war / post-Hogwarts / romance / enemies-to-lovers / sexual tension / killing curses as foreplay / violence and gore / dark Draco / morally kinda-grey Hermione / spicy smut / Slytherin gang / pro-level-writing

Before I get started:
This story is full of TWs, it's bloody, it's disturbing. ONLY READ this story if you can handle those TWs. ALSO there will be a lot of quotes! :)

About the story:
This fic is set 9 years post-Hogwarts (Voldemort wins AU). Not all horcruxes have been destroyed and the war has claimed many lives. The Order and Muggles have joined forces to fight the Dark Lord. However, things do not look good. Although Hermione is one of the most skilled fighters, Draco, Voldemort's righthand man and most deadly weapon, manages to capture her. However, instead of killing her, or using her as a hostage, Voldemort instructs Draco to do something terrible to Hermione....


My Thoughts:
I'm always a little skeptical when readers put stories directly on par with stories like Manacled or The Auction. There are a very few things I didn't like about the story, however, this story is incredibly well written and (story wise) innovative. It clearly deserves a place amongst the top tier fics alongside the already mentioned!

Every time I think Draco can't be any darker, an author manages to write him even more fucked up. He is merciless, he knows no empathy, only one thing drives him: His "family." Secrets and Masks is not a Draco Redemption story, his story is one of healing.
The Hermione of this story, is one I adore. She's smart, strong, and willing to make decisions that others won't, and that's one reason why she and Draco are such a perfect match. The two complement each other in a way neither have experienced before.
The closeness they build with each other comes from their desperate search for an outlet. Both are faced with hopeless situations, they feel pressure, responsibility, fear, anger... By having hateful sex with each other, they can let go and release pressure.

Occlumency could be considered as another character in the story. It takes up a large part of the story and is a strong emotional and poetic stylistic device to understand Draco. I enjoyed this very much.

The Slytherins, the "family", are almost all written in a very interesting way. Theo and Daphne in particular are innovatively portrayed. They all contribute to the story with their sometimes selfish intentions and motivations.


About the ending
I don't want to say too much. It's a bittersweet one. I would have even be okay without the last epilogue (if you've read it, you know what I mean!)

My favorite quotes:

It was the reason he slept with a record player on, charmed to never end, a constant loop of music to lull him into sleep and drown out those infernal screams.

They were eyes that used to look at him with such malice and anger and hatred burned into them. Eyes that were fierce, and glowed with a type of determination that only a lioness could conjure. But those eyes- fuck , those eyes held nothing but sympathy and pity when they looked at him now, and he fucking hated her for it.

"He may be a demon by name, but I refuse to believe that a man who tore off his wings, only to use them as a shield to protect his family, could ever truly be soulless.”

"Because in those moments you were ruthless, merciless , a fucking monster.” He bowed his head, lips grazing her cheek as he whispered; "In those moments, you were just like me.”

"I should have let you die.” She choked, whimpering as those traitorous tears gathered on her chin, and then finally dropped onto the floor. She felt two beats of his heart against her spine before his lips found her ear again. "Yes. You should have.”

He stared at her for a few seconds, bottomless blue, not a sliver of grey to be found, before he rested his forehead against hers. "I am doing something." He sighed, voice low and so pained that it made her chest tighten. Because he was doing something. He was standing there , offering himself up as the target for her anger. He'd baited her on purpose, could see the need for violence and bloodlust spilling out her, knew she needed to exorcise it like a fucking demon before it swallowed her whole. He was being the sacrificial lamb for the anguish that he'd caused.

"I won't stop trying to kill you," Hermione whispered, Malfoy's lips just a breaths distance away from hers. "I won't stop, and neither will you. I meant it when I said I'm going to kill you. I don't know how, but believe me when I say, when you finally meet your end, the reason your name is going to be engraved on a headstone is going to because of me. You're going to die because of a Mudblood.”

"'Till death do us part' you say?" She felt the air whirl around her face as he inhaled, and just when Hermione thought he might take pity on her, just when she thought he might grant her the mercy of death, Malfoy chose a different torture, and pressed his lips against her neck in a single, agonising, fucking crucifying kiss. "What makes you think you'll be rid of me in death?" Hermione couldn't help but shiver as his lips glided up to the shell of her ear, goading her, threatening her in a lovers whisper, "What makes you think I won't follow you there, just so our game never has to end?"

"Salazar, I fucking loathe you mudblood.” His hips snapped up harder on the word, extenuating the insult, and it punched the air in her lungs. "You have no fucking idea-" he sucked on her neck, biting down on her collar bone as his thrusts grew faster, more frantic. "-how much I hate you.”

Suddenly, both his hands flew into her hair. His forearms bracketed either side of her face and he held himself up on his elbows. She hissed as he pulled her head up and made her watch the place where their bodies were connected. "Look, Granger.” He panted. "Look at how well we fit together." Her breath hitched as she watched his cock slowly sliding into her. And then out. And then back in. It was a beautiful thing to watch , to see him disappearing inside her. Hypnotic. Sensual.

Still, the story was phenomenally written. It didn't let go of me and I shed several tears. I was rooting along until the very end and I have to say that this Draco was incredibly enjoyable to me. The ending left me still somewhat unsatisfied although it is beautifully nevertheless! But I think the ending would have been way more impactful without the second epilogue. (I know shocking but you know when it hurts it gotta hurt really bad 😉) This and the fact there where a few parts where I skimmed (eg the very long torture scenes), I deduct a minor point. I recommend anyone who can stand pain to read this story and then read some DMATMOOBIL.

I honestly hope ETL Echo will take this beast of a story on. They would do a phantastic job with this!


My Dramoine recommendations
in no particular order

Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love (DMATMOOBIL) by isthisselfcare
Secrets and Masks by Emerald_Slytherin
Remain Nameless by HeyJude19
The Fallout by everythursday
Timeless by alexandra_emerson
Measure of a Man by inadaze22
Room Serviced by pir8fancier
Love in a Time of the Zombie Apocalypse (LIATOTZA) by rizzle
The Auction by LovesBitca8
Breath Mints / Battle Scars by onyx_and_elm
Manacled by SenLinYu
Until The Ink Runs Dry by AccioMjolnir

The Right Thing To Do by LovesBitca8
Graveyard Valentine by Bex-chan
Wait and Hope by mightbewriting
Revert by suprntral lvr
Seek and Find by serpent_and_sage
From Wiltshire, With Love by Mistresslynn
The Politician’s Wife by pir8fancier
The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy by Speechwriter

[Amy]

When I say I want enemies to lovers, THIS is what I want. They literally want to kill each other but fall in love against all odds anyway.

Gods, this was so tragic. I am going to need 7-10 business days to recover.

[Claire · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, just no. “Inspired by manacled”…the author completely missed the point of manacled if they think this fic reflects it at all. To be fair, I only got to chapter 28 because it was too awful to finish, so perhaps it redeemed itself in the last half (I can’t imagine how this could have been accomplished though).

This fic romanticizes disgusting sadism and abuse. Manacled and many others fics bring complexity and nuance to “morally grey” characters and challenging situations- I’m a fan of that! But this fic created characters that were genuinely sadistic and vile. We even read Draco’s inner monologue saying he *wants* to hurt Hermione and he’d enjoy it. Why tf in this day and age are we romanticizing violent, abusive men? GROSS!

Going through trauma does not validate violence and sadism. In Manacled, The Auction, Love in a Time of the Zombie Apocalypse, etc., Draco and Hermione had to do terrible things, but they *never* enjoyed it. It was always Machiavellian. In this fic, the author wrote the characters as sadists. Gross! Irresponsible! Hate it!

I understand that the author could be a young person. If so, some of this is forgivable and can be excused by lack of experience, both in life and writing. But in the future the author should take direction from others like SenLinYu, Rizzle, and LovesBitCa8 for how to write morally grey characters without romanticizing and justifying abuse and sadism.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️!!!!!!! I AM DESTROYED.

This is my favorite read of the year, hands down. I am so drained from crying so hard. This was 1,399 pages of PURE PERFECTION.

I didn't think anything could top Manacled for me fanfiction wise and then here comes Secrets and Masks completely BLOWING me away.

I have fallen in love with so many characters in this and don't think I'll ever stop thinking about it. This book will stay with me forever.

I could share my 151 highlights but obviously won't for spoilers so I'll leave it at this.. PLEASE, do not let the size of this scare you. Just pick it up!!!

[Courtney Saba · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a 4 star. Then a 3. And ultimately a 2.

Great concept and potential. The beginning third was fantastic. The middle third was annoying with a great twist. And the final 20% was garbage.

Flaws:
- Way too much swearing. Every other word practically. I don't usually have an issue with this, but after awhile it was so distracting and grating that I refused to see the curse words anymore. Curses can be used successfully for emphasis, but when they are constantly there, they become childish, immature, dramatic, and irritating as all hell. These characters don't need swearing to get their point across if you've written them well.
- Characterizations went down the drain as the story progressed. They were borderline from the beginning, but for example, when the spy was revealed, the reactions were just ridiculous and unrealistic. Betrayal this and betrayal that. Is serving old Voldy really the pinnacle of idealism? Come on now. The reactions were forced.
- Found family is great, but it all felt a bit...immature and overused. Like how Vin Diesel says "family" like a thousand times in each new and unnecessary reiteration of the Fast and Furious franchise, that's essentially what it felt like here.
- They're all in their late twenties, but they still acted like teenagers. Not a good look.
- Theo's psycho qualities were just ridiculous. They weren't scary. They were cringey. I felt for him though.
- "Breaking Occlumency walls" "cracks" blahblahblah. We get it already! The blue-grey of D's eyes was said a thousand times. This boy is emotional. Got it. Let's describe it in a different way now, please and thank you.
- Why must every argument and disagreement either end with rough sex or throwing a tantrum? Is this supposed to be what a healthy relationship looks like or be an example of an ideal relationship? No. Probably not what the author intends bc of the war and enemies aspects, but come on. We can deal with tough things in a more mature way. And canon characters aren't like that. Especially the ambitious and cunning Slytherins. If they can figure something out using their cleverness rather than their fists or their outside voices, then that's the route they would take and they would be deliciously villainous doing something without lifting a finger vs becoming a toddler or a psycho when something doesn't go their way or make them happy (there are always obvious exceptions: Bellatrix, Voldemort, the original bloodthirsty Death Eaters - but I'd like to think that most Slytherins aren't like this. I like to think they're more like Narcissa - calm, cunning, considering, determined. Ive seen some excellent iterations of Slytherins in other fanfics who are way more villainous than this story's characters and they don't even have to kill "thousands" to be considered successful villains).
- The toxic use of sex. Sex used liked it was is fine, but to use it all the time and to then have it be the start of some kind of romance between D and H without any intimacy (bathtub scene notwithstanding) just doesn't work for me. Sorry.
- WE DON'T NEED ALL CAPS IN HIGH STRESS SITUATIONS. ISNT IT ALSO WEIRD TO HAVE "?!" AT THE END OF EVERY OTHER SENTENCE?! I think an editor could've helped shaped this up a bit.
- Let's be honest: this was written like a Sarah J Maas book. If that's your jam, power to you. If it's not, and it's definitely not my preference, then stay away. "Most powerful Death Eater/Demon Mask OF ALL TIME." Repeating sentences for emphasis but actually just lazy writing. Telling rather than showing. Ellipses up the ass. Arguments that destroyed rooms and throwing tantrums and toxic disagreements that were dealt with in unhealthy ways. Martyrs everywhere. Sex on their minds all the time. Suuuuuper dramatic scenes and dialogue and cringiness. Plus, the style of writing the author chose was like it was inspired by ACOTAR. While I enjoyed those books to a certain extent, can we please just rise above and try a little harder to learn better ways to get your thoughts across?
- Jesus. The ending. Did I cry a little? Unfortunately. But was it necessary? Absolutely not. This is not what you would call a HEA, technically. Keep that in mind.



******Spoiler********
- Another gripe: if you like dragons, you'll like this up until the end. I'll leave that up to you to figure out.
******End spoiler*********



Things I liked:
- The darkness of everything. I like dark stories. Survival, revenge, suffering. All my bread and butter. It became a little too ridiculous in this one (how many people are in the war, exactly? How could our 3 Slytherins have killed thousands of people each? Doesn't seem plausible how both sides are still even around at this point. Also, that much Dark Magic? Their souls would be irreparably damaged. Just saying.)
- Voldemort. I think he was written beautifully. Just scary and intelligent enough without being evil for evil's sake.
- The bathtub scene. THIS. This is what I'm talking about when I say you don't need sex all the time. This is what I crave in an enemies-to-lovers or any other book: intimacy. Vulnerability. Just the right amount of snark, charm, and sexual tension. I saw the chemistry between H and D here. But sadly, this was the only scene where I could see the attraction. Everywhere else it was forced, questionable, and confusing. Sex was used as a means of letting off their steam, rage, and hate and coming to terms with not being able to control their own narratives bc of circumstances. This was a "use me and I'll use you" kind of thing, not the start of a romance or what it ended up becoming: soul-deep love. Definitely didn't see it.
- I love dragons. The one here was used as an end-all type of thing most of the time, that wasn't really an issue, and I loved how much she played a part in this story. However, must we use these beautiful creatures to just do what the author did at the end? Can we do something else for these lovely beings in stories, please?

Overall, you can tell where I stand. I really did enjoy it, up to a point. But it was way too long and the flaws just started building at an exponential rate that just made me skim the last 10-20%. Shame.

Skip this one unless you don't mind all the bullet points above.

Happy reading, Goodreads fiends.

[Gabby Scheyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 stars. I will never recover.

[Michae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am completely and utterly dead inside. This was an absolute masterpiece and I honestly don’t even know what to do with myself

[humna حمنہ (j. lynch's version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆˚࿔Secrets and Masks 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
────୨ৎ────────୨ৎ────
⊹ ࣪ ˖ this is going to be a spoiler free review since i am sure that I can never give this the justice it deserves. i wouldn't choose any other book to be my 100th book read this year ୨ৎ

⌗ to my babes april, shania, rose, maryam, sama, and my other bsf's who dislike my love draco: i've come to terms with your hate on my husband but he's still the most beautiful guy ever.

⌗ to my fellow draco + dramione obsessed besties, alms & auds: you get it, 😝😍

ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ

He could do this forever, dance with her for eternity while the rest of the world turned to ash around them, and he would never be bored.

ֶָ֢⊹𐙚 this book is one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me. It had every thing I love in one book (forced proximity, REAL enemies to lovers, character redemption, character betrayal, many many plot twists, amazing scenes w detail, addictive side characters, exact point of focus on things that i wanted to see, grumpy x sunshine, and romance that made my heart ache). Yes it was 2640 pages (online pdf), but I ate this up in less than a week, skipping NO pages. if that doesn't show that everybody has to try it at least ONCE then i don't know what will.

he may be demon by name, but i refuse to believe that a man who tore off his wings, only to use them as a shield to protect his family, could ever truly be soulless.

˙✧˖°📷 ༘ : dramione : the love and hate between them made me want to scream, sob, and laugh with joy at the same time. We see them at the start having nothing but pure hate for each other but going forward? after conquering hell again and again, love broke out from the very stems that had aimed to pit them against each other. As a reader, i want real enemies to lovers and this just took the first tier. nothing can beat this. i would recommend this book every single day of my life, and you bet i'll never get tired. i love dramione but THIS? this is the epitome of love and the backbone of dramione. I love this with my whole heart.

It all felt real and if it wasn't .. if this was the price he had to pay then he'd fucking welcome it. An eternity of torture didn't sound so bad if he could keep hold of these memories.

˙ . ꒷ 🍰 . 𖦹: the side characters: hello??? i rarely like the side characters in books but in this? i looked forward to getting even a GLIMPSE of astoria, blaise, theo, and daphne. yes, i know they committed terrible acts, but their sweetness and the reason behind their actions? that just took my heart and never gave it back. they were beautiful people, and the relationship and pure LOVE they had for each other made me tear up on more than just one occasion. i love them all so so so so so much.

🎀𓂃 ࣪˖ plot twists: they have my heart. and they can keep it. the sheer amount of plot twists and the way they were executed was amazing. i seriously have no words; i barely saw any of them coming. but once they did? oh my god, let's just say it was extraordinary.

˚₊·—̳͟͞͞♡: the epilogues: yes, they broke me. does that mean i didn't like them? false. my heart broke at the epilogues but it also soared because they all deserved to have peace and a happy ending (or as much as they could have gotten).

"Did you lie to her?"
────────────────
"-Why will I ever lie to her when she's all of my secrets?"

mini playlist:

╰┈➤ Breathe Me- Sia
╰┈➤ Impossible - James Arthur
╰┈➤ i hate u, i love u - gnash, olivia o'brien
╰┈➤ ocean eyes - billie eilish
╰┈➤ stand by you - rachel platten
╰┈➤ lovely - billie eilish, khalid
╰┈➤ sweater weather - the neighbourhood

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||||၊|။||||||၊|။||||||၊|။||||| 0:10

pre-read: 16/11/24 ౨ৎ
super super excited to read this omg!! <3

[audrey (completely gone rn) · Rating 5 out of 5]

random update #2: 4/4/25
made the decision to reread part of this in lit class and ended up sobbing quietly in the back of the classroom, 2 different people asked if I was okay. the answer is no.

random update #1: 3/10/25
it is currently 12:15 am and I am so cooked cuz I usually listen to sleeping at last to go to sleep but now I cant without thinking about this fucking book goddammit this one fucked me up so bad ITS BEEN OVER A MONTH like goddamn how am I not over it

if u need me ill be crying ig 😭

start on: 12.7.24
end on: 2.1.25

‎‧₊˚✧final review✧˚₊‧

❝She wasn’t dancing with the devil, just using one to exorcise her demons.❞

‧₊˚🖇️✩₊housekeeping˚🎧⊹♡
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛this review will have major spoilers because i am crashing out and the quotes are the only things keeping me going
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ this book is PERFECT. If you think otherwise, get off my review.


a few notes from me

1: This book was a rollercoaster, to say the least. Special shoutout to my irl friends for listening to me rant about this for HOURS, whether in person or over text, shoutout to humna for enduring updates after every chapter and my late night pinterest texts about it, and thank you for everyone on here for suffering through countless status updates about this. If you missed any of them and want to see my thought train evolution, its all there for you to backread (its super chaotic and like the 5 stages of grief in there). BUTTT it has all my thoughts.

2: I know so many of you aren’t fans of Draco, or Dramione, but that’s okay, you dont have to be i will convert you eventually. Anyways…Humna, Almas, and Jazzy…you girls get it. And that’s all that matters to me <3.

3: okay so theres this rlly long quote and yall are so lucky i love you cuz i wouldn’t type this out for anyone else. Anyways the point is idk where else to put it SO here:

You’re not cancer, Granger, you were an antidote. My heart was dead, it’d been drowning in darkness and hatred and revenge for years and then you gave my life meaning, you made me laugh and smile and showed me what it meant to be alive. You brought me back to life and you made me want to live. I don’t want to know what I would have become if you hadn’t pulled me back.

🫧𓇼𓏲rest of review✩‧₊˚🎐

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ Harry Potter Fanfiction

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ what to expect + content warnings
➳ 3rd person past tense
➳dual pov w/ some extra POVs in other places
➳ heart-wrenching emotional torture
➳ Dramione fic
➳ Death eater Draco
➳ Wartime
➳ blood + gore
➳ enemies to lovers (REAL enemies to lovers)
➳ betrayal
➳ Blaise x Astoria
➳ Ron x Romilda (barf)


˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ personal reading stats (# of crash outs, high lights, etc)

➳ Crash out numbers: ~413 crash outs

➳ Stats in apple books:
╰┈➤ Bookmark #’s: 274
Yellow Highlights (plot): 150
Green Highlights (writing style): 37
Blue Highlights (characters): 114
Pink Highlights (romance): 84
Purple Highlights (moments + miscellaneous): 131
Underlines (quotes): 130
Notes: 75


·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ ∞ stars

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ 3.5/5 (spice rating)

·˚ ༘₊· ͟͟͞͞꒰➳ ❀❀❀/5 (fluff rating)


「 ✦Secrets & Masks✦ 」
(noun) the most perfect fanfiction to exist

Already Gone
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
1:35 ───ㅇ───── 3:47
❝And I want you to know/You couldn’t have loved me better.❞


☁️ . . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ overall thoughts
╰┈➤ ❝He could do this forever, dance with her for eternity while the rest of the world turned to ash around them, and he would never be bored.❞

It’s perfect. I can’t put into words how much I love this fic. I have to shout out Humna and Almas again, because you were so, SO right about this, and every single tear was worth it. I know that my review will never, ever be able to do this book justice, but I will try my damn best.


˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧˚.🎀༘⋆ writing style
╰┈➤ ❝Can a person go mad with grief?❞

I thought when I read Binding 13 that that would be the best writing I have ever read. And I definitely never thought that my #1 writing style would get knocked down by a fanfiction. But THIS…yall I can’t. I can’t even. Binding 13 made me shed a few tears. But Secrets and Masks had me bawling like a BABY (and I very rarely cry over books). Everything Emerald_Slytherin writes is SO visceral, filled with emotion and color and perfect descriptions. The world came to an end for me because of this fic and the way it’s written, and there is nothing I wouldn’t trade for just ten minutes of being able to read it for the first time again.


♡₊˚ 🦢・₊ ♪ ✧ plot
╰┈➤ ❝You deserve to rest now.❞

Yall the way this plot had me hooked from the very beginninng like I’m so serious. And the pacing for it was just…aslkdjglasd;ghe fucking PERFECTION like there are no words except that the plot was perfect perfect perfect. That’s it, thats the review. It’s perfect.


˖◛⁺⑅♡main romance♡⑅⁺◛˖
╰┈➤ ❝I think it could even melt the ice around your cold little heart, if you let her.❞

I could go on and on and on about how Dramione is perfect in general, y’all know that by now. But ENEMIES TO LOVERS Dramione when it's written like THIS?? Yall my heart can’t survive it. It’s so stupidly perfect it’s not fair why do they get to be so perfect for each other 😭. And their foreplay being fighting don’t get me wrong I’d never want to do that IRL but for some reason that is so hot and holy shit when they said I love you for the first time I think my heart cracked open a little bit and their snuggle sessions later and THE END OF THE BOOK and THE WAY HES SO OBVIOUSLY IN LOVE WITH HER I CANT DO IT. and the way they talked about ‘in another life’ AND THEY GOT IT OHMYGODDD


୭ 🧷 ✧ ˚. ᵎᵎ 🎀 friendships/other relationships
╰┈➤ ❝Now do you understand why i have to do the things I do?! It’s for them!❞

Blaise and Astoria?? SCREAMING they’re so perfect for each other. I have ALWAYS been a Blaise girly more than a Theo girly (sorry Humns) and let me tell you when I saw the way he treats Astoria, like she hung the fucking moon? I was gone. Dead. Deceased. If my Draco is taken in this life, I’ll gladly have Blaise as my second choice.

Draco, Hermione, and Narcissa (the dragon): Their bonds are so perfect. The way Narcissa hates everyone except Draco and then Hermione shows up and its like oh hello there ITS SO GOOD ALKJDSG:GHEOIWSGDLK


➶-͙˚ ༘✶ characters
╰┈➤ ❝No matter how long he studied her, no matter how much he thought he knew her, she always managed to surprise him.❞


Main Characters 「 ✦Hermione Granger✦ 」
╰┈➤ ❝They used to say that you couldn’t possibly be a Mudblood, because you were too powerful! Too good at killing. So fucking talented at murdering our soldiers it was like you were born to do it!❞

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: Hermione Granger is the ONLY character that I can say with certainty that, no matter how she is written, I will love her, and relate to her 110% percent, even before I actually read the fic. She has always been the character I see myself in the most, and probably always will be (unless there’s a character out there that yall are hiding from me). And the hermione in this fic? She is a badass queen of badassery. She is SO fucking cool, like i literally cant describe how in awe of her i was reading this. I want to be her so bad holy moly.

·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛relatability?
[■■■■■■■■■■] 100%

·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛how much i liked them
11/10


Main Characters 「 ✦Draco Malfoy✦ 」
╰┈➤ ❝What makes you think there was anything good in me, to begin with?❞

I could go on and on about how much I love him, but I feel like it might get a little redundant. Acc, yk what, i dont care! Yall can listen to me yap about my husband because he is the loml and ALKGDS:JGALGJEOWIG say what you will i love him SOOO much. Death Eater Draco, School Years Draco, Auror Draco, it doesn’t matter, I will LOVE him. That being said…I do tend to have a soft spot for Death Eater Draco. And thats because its so often that everything he does is to protect him and his family, and that is just so amazing. also murderers are hot

·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛relatability?
[■■■□□□□□□□] 30%

·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛how much i liked them
10/10


Side Character「 ✦ Astoria Greengrass Zabini ✦ 」
╰┈➤ ❝[...]he knew that sometimes, even those with the smallest shoulders could bare the heaviest loads.❞

Don’t you dare say anything bad about my bitch i will hunt you down istg. She’s so strong and so perfect and deserved everything she got in the end, and I’m so sad that she lost three of the most important people to her along the way. < /3


Side Character「 ✦ Theodore Nott ✦ 」
╰┈➤ ❝If he couldn’t sing, how else was he supposed to enjoy himself in this shit hole?❞

The fact that he was willing to kill HIS BEST FRIEND to get his wife back literally sent me I’m so serious. And the fact that his whole persona is fake but also real?? And his goofy ah nature humna i can see why you love him so much


୧ ‧₊˚ 🍮 ⋅ ☆ moments
THE WHOLE BOOK. ALL OF IT. GIVE ME EVERY MOMENT.


⋆·˚ ༘ * 🔭 quotes (bolded ones are my favorites, bear with me cuz there are a LOT of them)

╰┈➤ ➸❝You’re fucking monstrous, even the devil couldn’t punish you enough.❞
➸❝There’s something satisfying about a Filthy Mudblood making the great Draco Malfoy bleed.❞
➸❝That was different.” “How so?” “That was when I thought you had a soul that might be worth saving.❞
➸❝I think it could even melt the ice around your cold little heart, if you let her.❞
➸❝My wife means more to me than anything. She is my life. My very reason for existing. If you do anything, anything at all that may cause her harm or risk exposing her condition, will kill you.❞
➸❝He may be a demon by name, but I refuse to believe that a man who tore off his wings, only to use them as a shield to protect his family, could ever truly be soulless.❞
➸❝Hermione couldn’t decide which they were more afraid of. The dragon, or the Demon.❞
➸❝Hermione didn’t feel any of it, because her heart was already broken.❞
➸❝Fuck - why did it have to be you? Why the fuck did it have to be you?❞
➸❝What makes you think you’ll be rid of me in death?” [...] “What makes you think I won’t follow you there, just so our game never has to end?❞
➸❝She wasn’t dancing with the devil, just using one to exorcise her demons.❞
➸❝If only the shattered pieces of her heart were so easy to fix.❞
➸❝Every time you make her kill, it’s like you’re ripping a petal from a flower. A piece of her dies, and then another, and then another. Soon, there’s going to be nothing left of her.❞
➸❝Fight all you want cub, but I’m never letting you go.❞
➸❝There she is,” Malfoy chuckled in her ear. “There’s the lioness.❞
➸❝Do you honestly believe that I would let you go that easily?❞
➸❝He hurt you, so I killed him, and I’d do it again in a fucking heartbeat.❞
➸❝I would have done anything to get you to just stop fucking crying.❞
➸❝Fear will destroy you if you let it, Draco. But remember, if administered correctly, fear can also be the most dangerous weapon on earth.❞
➸❝[...] it’s a lot harder to fantasize about stabbing you in the heart when I can see the reason why it’s so broken.❞
➸❝You don’t know what it feels like to love someone so much that you can’t fucking breathe without them.❞
➸❝I don’t know what to think anymore. I don’t know what’s real anymore.❞
➸❝Don’t hide from me.❞
➸❝I fucking hate that you’ve revived something in me that I thought I’d buried a long, long time ago. I hate you for it, Granger, I really, really do.❞
➸❝And you’re absolutely stunning when you’re trying to kill me.❞
➸❝[...]when I saw what Zacharias Smith had done to you, when I saw what those Black Masks were doing to you, nothing else mattered to me! Do you hear me? Nothing! Else!”[...]”All I could think about was killing them! Killing all of them! Killing everyone who’d ever even thought about hurting you.❞
➸❝And although she’d never admit it if he asked her, she’d never felt safer.❞
➸❝I don’t just see the horns when I look at you,” Hermione breathed. “They’re still there. I can still see them, but they’re not all I see anymore.❞
➸❝[...] she knew that she meant something to him. That she was important to him, even if it was only temporary.❞
➸❝And she considered herself lucky that the last thing she’d ever see was so beautiful.❞
➸❝I’ll come back to you.❞
➸❝No, blood didn’t make a family. Something else did.❞
➸❝It’s called therapy, darling. Look it up.❞
➸❝And in that moment, slipping her hand into his felt like the most natural thing in the world.❞
➸❝He loved her - he loved her and she was goinng to die.❞
➸❝I know … I know ‘in another life’ started out as a joke-” “It was never a joke,” he said sternly, warmly. “Never to me.❞
➸❝We said we would be together in this life or the next,”[...]”I just thought we’d have more time together in this one.❞
➸❝I would carve open my chest, pull out my heart and give it to you if you only asked me to. I would give you anything in the world that you want. But do not ask me to sit back and watch you die.❞
➸❝Juster Hermione and Draco. Just a pureblood and a Mudblood. If this was how she could spend her last days on earth, then she could die happy.❞
➸❝Granger,” she said, and he smirked at her in that way that made her heart flutter. “Do you think my love for you is so fragile that something as simple as death could keep me from you?❞
➸❝And if I could do all that for a man I despised, what do you think I would do to protect her?❞
➸❝No,” she whispered. “Not in this life, but maybe we’ll get luckier in the next one.❞
➸❝I’d quite happily let another thousand or two die if it bought us another week together.❞
➸❝I love you Draco, more than anything.” and there was a finality in her words that made his already breaking heart shatter into a million pieces.❞
➸❝There is not a thing I wouldn’t do to keep you safe.❞
➸❝We have all the time in the world. I’ll still be here when you get back.❞
➸❝I followed you into death, I’ll follow you fucking anywhere, my little lion.❞


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ favorites
ˋ°•*⁀➷ favorite characters
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ Draco, Hermione, and Cissa <33 (both of them)
ˋ°•*⁀➷favorite scenes
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ every. Single. one.
ˋ°•*⁀➷favorite quotes
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ every. Single. one.


✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ final thoughts
There is so much more to say, but idk what it is. It’s so perfect and literally I can’t put all of this into words - I’m out of them.

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ please comment or pm me if I missed anything, especially tropes!


♫₊˚.🎧 ✩｡ playlist
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ Demons - Hayley Kiyoko
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ Courtyard Apocalypse - Alexandre Desplat
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ Arcade - Duncan Lawrence
·˚ ༘₊·꒰➳: ̗̀➛ Iris - The GooGoo Dolls

↶*ೃ✧˚.❃ ↷ˊ- full playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dU... *

*not my playlist but the account that made it is smth i highly recommend cuz all their playlists are phenomenal and they have stuff for like everyone

ʚɞ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ Love y’all. Let’s go light it up and rattle some stars! Mwah ♡
ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ


‎‧₊˚✧pre-review✧˚₊‧
my heart is gone, my soul just fell into the abyss, and I need a serious electrolyte replenishing. Now excuse me while I cry for days.

‎‧₊˚✧pre-read✧˚₊‧
my soul sister humna and the gorgeous almas SWEAR by this fic, and i'm going on a day trip today, so I thought it would be a good time to start this one!!

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could’ve been so much shorter with a little editing. But also anyone who said this is as good as Manacled is friggin’ high outta their mind.

[Natalia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think people can't distinguish between "dark" and fucking awful. Manacled destroyed me, but it was more interesting and allowed me to empathise with the characters. I did not like this Hermione, she annoyed me, and that barely happens. Draco suffered and his parents were killed, so what? He has killed so many people and done the same to others. Hermione's parents were also killed, but I was supposed to feel sympathy for an unredeemable character that did not show remorse? And the way he was awful to her and then she saw him sad twice and suddenly was like aww he has a heart. After what happened with Seamus there was no going back for me, you could not make me care for Draco. And he saying they are the same??? You're a sadistic asshole willing to kill for a monster and a a cause that is disgusting, a bigoted narcissist, while she was killing those monsters that hated her for what she was and were willing to side with Voldemort and destroy everything to create a new world order that only benefitted them. I'm sorry but this fic just made me mad. And don't remind me of the repetitive writing and the excessive use of "fuck". This has to had been written by a teenager or something because their idea of dark is just immature and not well thought out. Finally, Draco and Hermione were so out of character that I couldn't wrap my head around this being a Dramione fic. Like, her getting naked and claiming to have some kind of control and all that being sexual after he had made her killed all her allies and controlled her for days. Disgusting.

[almas. · Rating 4 out of 5]

read on: (28.11.24.)

꒰🎭꒱ secrets and masks by emerald_slytherin

↪ ★★★★.5 astonished stars

# read 2 (28.05.25.)
----> best way to spend your birthday is re-reading this masterpiece xx

i. | hold up.
----> first things first, i want to tell you this: my review will NEVER do this justice. go read my fellow draco + dramione obsessed bestie humna's review instead: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... she's the one who literally RAVED about this masterpiece, and i now understand why. dear emerald_slytherin, forgive me in advance, for not doing this book justice through my review.

❝ till death, do you part.❞

ii. | this masterpiece.
----> this book made me feel things i never did before. it had EVERYTHING i love in a book. everything. sure, the writing was ... uh ... wattpad-y at times, and it definitely had too much smut for my liking in the middle - but if we ignore that? MASTERFUL WORK. when you think about it, the format or writing method of a book doesn't really matter if it makes you FEEL. it makes you feel so many emotions, it makes you relate and it makes you care for the characters. secrets and masks did that to me. for me, if a book makes me start creating fake scenarios in my head with the characters - then it's a masterpiece. and this did exactly that. i'll never get over this 🥹

❝ he could do this forever, dance with her for eternity while the rest of the world turned to ash around them, and he would never be bored.❞

iii. | draco + hermione = my faves.
----> this is TRUE enemies to lovers. i used to say that jude x cardan were the epitome of enemies to lovers, but nope: it's these two. draco and hermione are the epitome of enemies to lovers. no arguments. the pure HATE they had for each other for like, half the book - and how it slowly progresses and develops into a friendship, then friends who care for each other and eventually into love? enchanting. alluring. exquisite. halfway through, their relationship might seem physical, but i assure you: it is MUCH much more than that. they have both gone through so much, and seeing them heal by being together is just so heartbreaking but heartwarming at the same time 😭

❝ he may be demon by name, but i refuse to believe that a man who tore off his wings, only to use them as a shield to protect his family, could ever truly be soulless.❞

iv. | you've become my family.
----> the found family in this? EXTRAORDINARY. the plot in general, alongside the plot regarding the side characters was PHENOMENAL. it made me anticipate every single scene with theo, astoria, blaise, daphne, romy, quinzel and narcissa in it. also, they way they were all shipping draco and hermione?? I LOVED THAT. i agree, they did do horrible things - but once you read this, you understand why they did them. why they had to do them. i felt pain, joy, and every other emotion along with the characters. i felt everything they felt. it's truly unbelievable how emerald_slytherin made this possible 🩹

❝ well, we must latch onto happiness wherever we find it. because we don't know how long we will have in this life.❞

v. | is this the end?
----> the ending BROKE me. shattered me. crumpled me. tore me apart. and the epilogues? oh, they fractured the shards of my heart even more. despite the pain, i felt immense joy because they all finally got what they deserved, to an extent. happiness. contentment. peace.

❝ Hermione painted for hours and hours, and she was so enthralled in her artwork, so transfixed as she covered the once cream wall in vibrant shades of blue and jade, that she never felt a pair of curious grey eyes watching her from the doorway.❞

please read this 🥹

xx
almas the almighty

─────────────────── 𝜗𝜚 ───────────────────

pre-review.
i had tears in my eyes. anyone who knows me understands what a big deal that is. rtc when i deal with the pain <3

pre-read.
IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS OMG !! i never liked ronxhermione, and my bsf humns SWEARS BY this fanfic and i kid you not, i am shaking in anticipation. let's see how this goes <3

[vee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars✨

HE WAS SO FUCKING CLOSEEE




(me finishing this while recently bein obsessed w/ another love - tom odell & i remember everything - zach bryan kacey musgraves cannot be good for my health)

—- (the night we met fits too)

(though they’ll fit manacled even more)

anywaythisone

man

now what am i to do

***

‘He may be a demon by name, but I refuse to believe that a man who tore off his wings, only to use them as a shield to protect his family, could ever truly be soulless.’

***

“Till death do us part' you say?" 
She felt the air whirl around her face as he inhaled, and just when Hermione thought he might take pity on her, just when she thought he might grant her the mercy of death, Malfoy chose a different torture, and pressed his lips against her neck in a single, agonising, fucking crucifying kiss.
“What makes you think you'll be rid of me in death?" Hermione couldn't help but shiver as his lips glided up to the shell of her ear, goading her, threatening her in a lover's whisper. "What makes you think I won't follow you there, just so our game never has to end?”



***

“I'd let Theo decapitate a thousand of your muggle soldiers. He can display their heads on my mantlepiece if that's what it takes to make him feel whole again."
“Is that what will happen when Voldemort decides that I've outlived my useless?"
Her question seemed to take him off guard. His expression fell, the fake smirk crumbled as quickly as he'd forged it.
“Are you going to just stand there when he sends me to the gallows? And watch while he orders one of you to cut my head off?"
His eyes twitched, not quite a flinch, but it wasn't nothing either. “Are you going to hide behind your Occlumency walls while Theo parades my head around like it's a toy? Are you going to smile then?"
She wondered what his reaction might have been if his walls weren't up. Wondered what his expression might have been if he weren't protecting himself behind his icy shield. If the thought of her head being thrown carelessly around by his best friend might have been unsettling for him. If it might splinter that cold, dead heart of his, make him feel something for someone else who wasn't his family.If there were cracks, he didn't let them show.
His eyes were grey and lifeless. All traces of blue were snuffed out, along with the little shreds of kindness that accompanied them.
He looked her up and down, rolled his tongue on the inside of his cheek, and then he scoffed cruelly.
Despite the malicious mask he wore on his face, he spoke the next few words very softly. He whispered them, almost caressing her with each syllable, and Hermione didn't know if they were a threat on her life, or a vow to keep her forever.
“Do you honestly believe that I would let you go that easily?”



***

“I'd travel,” he said out of nowhere, derailing her train of thought.
“Travel?" she asked, the water still warm around her. "Where would you go?"
“Everywhere. I'd see everything. I'd do everything. Live what life I've got left in me to the fullest."
Suddenly, her mind went back to the pictures on his wall. The landscapes. The lakes. The mountains. Maybe the pictures on his wall weren't just pictures at all. Maybe they were more like windows, windows into another life, another life that he wished he could have, places he wanted to go, but didn't think he'd get to see.
“You could come with me.”
Hermione scoffed and splashed him again. "Come with you? Have you lost the plot?"
“Does that really sound so bad? Me and you. Alone. Travelling the world together. Fighting and fucking in every country until we're old and grey. The thrill of it would keep us young for years."
“We wouldn't get old and grey - we'd kill each other within a few years."
“Maybe." He leaned closer, closing the distance between them, and it took everything in Hermione not to shiver as his cold hand found her knee, and slowly glided up her leg to rest on her hip. "But think of the fun we'd have."
She shook her head and laughed, and although she smacked his hand away, she couldn't help but smile with him. “In another life, I think I would have liked that.”
“Another life.” He smiled as he leaned back against his side of the bath. "Yes, in another life, maybe.”



***

She could do this. They could do this; they just needed to trust one another and work together. Once upon a time she'd have scoffed at the irony of it all. A Death Eater and the Golden Girl, fighting side by side, relying on each other to save the others life while two grotesquely large beasts looked at them with hunger in their eyes. It was all so horribly poetic it was almost funny.
“Just do what I tell you and follow my lead." Hermione looked at Malfoy out the corner of her eye. "Do you have my back?"
Blue-grey eyes met hers for a moment before he smirked. "Do you even have to ask, little lion?”

***

“Granger, I-" He cut himself off and rolled his tongue on the inside of his cheek, like he didn't know how to say the words.
She recognised that look, she'd seen it on him before. And without even saying it, Hermione knew what he was trying to ask.
“Don't worry, I'll come back," Hermione finished for him. "I'll come back to you."
He scoffed quietly and his lips twitched into a small smirk. "Make sure that you do.”
And then, despite the battle going on around them, Malfoy grabbed the back of her head and kissed her. It only lasted a second, they couldn't afford to take their eyes off the battle any longer, but that kiss spoke a thousand words.
The way he held the back of her head told her that he never wanted to let her go, that he didn't want to let her go now, even though it was for the best.
The way he chased her mouth when she started to pull away, the way he dragged her lips back to hers just so he could steal that second more told her that he wished they had more time, that he wasn't ready to let her go yet, just like she wasn't ready either.
And the way he kissed her, so passionately and so publicly, in front of generations of Death Eaters who'd looked up to him for leadership and who wanted her dead, it told her that she was his.
His for all to see. His for as long as they had.
He told her everything she needed to know without ever uttering a single syllable.

these two. they just have one of the most epic love of all time. the admiration i have for these ff writers. they all just seem to be in one understanding and manage to capture THAT dramione magic in each and one of their writings. how, i would never know




where to fucking begin.

its 1 am. i havent moved from this spot for like 7hrs and ur girl’s ass is hella sore

so much dragging. i think i overall skimmed 20-40% of the book in general, if not more

and yet

these 2 managed to broke my heart put it back together then crushed it once more

⛰ the family aspect between em all added so much to the story. at first i didnt rlly give a fuck much, but after, (well lets just say the 60% mark) i think the story wouldve been a little boring without em. loved the dynamic where malfoy’s basically the head of the house, oldest brother,, that is, before (ffs im just gonna say it read at ur own risk its a pretty major spoiler though i figured it out the first she showed up on page w that bloody mustang name) daphne came back. shes def his older sister whereas tori’s his younger. both put there to keep him on his toes and take his baggage a little

⛰ the writing’s bad yet so wonderful at the same time? not at the same time, no. it just had its moments. like, it requires a whole lotta editing in a way that it digress from a point a lot, lazy & repetitive as hell (including the unnecessary curse words at times), typos that drove me a lil mad, also rushed plot lines & magic stuff (astoria’s blood curse ‘chemo’ being one of them). the dialogues felt like it didnt flow as i wouldve liked most of time. cant describe it v well, ure just gonna have to read it to understand but thats the whole gist. its messy af but managed to be also freakin wonderful

i shed a fuckin river on some scenes. they werent even well written but it still managed to broke the dam anyway. explain that 🤌

idek how to talk ab it. u feel like u have the patient and time, go pick this up. i dont have much recollection of manacled, but as something this was inspired by, need there anything to be said more? its pretty fuckin good overall and though its been years since i read manacled (cant remember shit), this still felt like a familiar story for me. just dont expect any manacled tidiness here coz u wont find any (except maybe the idea and settings)

⛰ the plot’s still pretty well thought out (if ure willing to turn a blind eye on some things like i did and am doing rn w this high rating), it does felt v wattpad-y most of the times (hence the prolly over 200-500pgs of skimming in total), but if u dont rlly care bout the hp stuff and only here for dramione like miself, then yes this is a good one

i will say if ure not feelin it but felt like u could still get ur way back, hold on for just a little more. it picked a whole up the last 40% of the book. ure still gonna wanna fuckin skim and thats alright, just go on w it

ps. also that ‘hi baby’ scene touched smth in me but i got over it so quickly. thats what im sayin w the writing, it could make ur heart stop for a sec getting caught up in waves of emotion but loses ur interest the next coz of the inconsistensiness of the embodiment IF THAT MAKES SENSE. (except draco. i never lost any ounce of feelings for him. just gained more in fact? coz i wasnt rlly feelin it the first 60%)

⛰ prolly not smth i would reread in the future. it dragged too much. my curiosity won the first time around but knowing everything ik now, i wouldnt have the patience

“One grave," he said. "I want you to bury us together.”

malfoy in pain is just a whole nother level of pain

⛰ it hurts my soul knowing that i’ll forget ab them entirely in a few months, (i wish i can have all the fics i loved in physical copy) so note for future self : the fam here that needs to be remembered includes : draco-hermione and their girl cissa (the dragon) tori-blaise daphne-theo romy-quinzel (the elves)💓💓

⛰ last thing is that i wasnt thrilled w the ending at all. didnt mind the ENDING ending (iykyk), but the epilogue was shit. just didnt like it, didnt feel right to me. hated epilogue 2

⛰ using this sticker coz its exactly what i imagined their safe house look like the entire time. so homey. so peaceful. just the 8 (9) of em

(🥹😿😔😣🤧😭)

was gonna use 🐉🐲 but i dont think they embodies my girl cissa well

[Vlada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I will probably never get over this.
One of the best stories I've ever read!

Carefully, it will break your heart

[rose — omigod, can u let me do what i need to do? · Rating 1 out of 5]

pros
- there are none. 0 (zero.)
cons
- STOP WITH THE SMIRKY CONFIDENT BAD BOY DRACO X FEISTY NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS HERMIONE I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. like the face i made when draco started teasing her with a smirk on his face oh my body had a physical reaction and absolutely not in a good way
"Wow, wow, wow, easy there killer." She could hear the smirk in Medusa's voice as he held his hands up, showing her that he wasn't armed - not yet. She knew all too well how quickly he could draw his wand and point it at her temple; he'd done it enough times during their meetings. "Don't shoot the messenger, Lilith.”

"I don't have time for games Medusa,” she snapped, the charm on her voice box unnaturally distorting the words. "What's the information?"

"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast," he said, waving his index finger at her.

i just need yall to try and picture real people speaking like this. seriously, picture two adults speaking to each other like this, or even to you.

you can't picture it. you just can't. do you know why? BECAUSE NO ONE SPEAKS LIKE THIS IN REAL LIFE.

LIKE WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?? HELLO??? you do not understand the out of body experience i had when i read this. every organ inside of me, every single cell, tissue, atom, shrivelled up and wanted to die. i cannot even put into words how unfathomably cringy that is OMG the author seriously owes me financial compensation for the spiritual, emotional, and mental mutilation she has given me for that disgusting snippet. i get ill just thinking about it why is draco acting like he's a whiter than white teenage YA male love interest and why did the author think this was okay

and he calls her sweetheart too dude this dynamic doesn't even WORK in this setting because draco's out here being forced to kill and torture and see people get raped and be apart of the magical hitler youth. it should be weighing down on his conscience and his ass definitely should not be acting like some trashy wattpad ml. i'll take the emo 14-year-old acting draco from Breath Mints/Battle Scars over this dog shit any day and if you know anything about me you know that i was gagging nonstop when i read that fic

- the dragon. dude be serious there's a reason why dragons can't be tamed or ridden in canon like it completely tilts the scales in favor of the side with the fucking dragon. like i'm all for it and daenerys is the loml and dragons are cool and everything but like... c'mon. the order should not even be kicking anymore LMFAO in fact why even risk sending out full teams of death eaters anymore? just send off draco with black shadow, a few people to defend him, and you're chilling

- hermione is so predictable and cringy like she's been ripped straight out a trashy ya novel. angry, feisty, not like other girls... ugh i'm making myself sick. she cannot keep her mouth shut for over a second and she's completely unlike the smart, bright girl she's supposed to be. she's fucking stupid, and not only that, she's also unbearably annoying. so annoying, that i was rooting for voldemort to kill both her and draco by the time i was on ch3.

- i can't deal everything about this entire story is cringy and insufferable. even manacled, the fic that romanticizes a rapist and his victim, had a less annoying main couple for its first 40 chapters

shouldn't be surprised by the quality of this bc it's inspired by that pile of trash known as manacled but idk what does a girl need to do to be able to read an actually good dramione fic like i'm so tired

2/17 edit: the author started threatening to take this fic down like don't threaten me with a good time omg...
6/26/25 edit: if ur wondering i rly believe that there is no such thing as a good, finished dramione fic that centers around dramione. and i have read every single one that has at least above 2000 kudos on ao3

[reevreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

finally finished this one. here’s my review by chunk:

first 300 pages - typical “how can we make draco as atrocious as possible”. let’s just make him a complete abusive asshole

middle 500 pages - boring, had to start skimming, could have shortened this entire part by 400 pages.

last 300 pages - redeemed itself a bit. *spoiler* i love when authors aren’t afraid to kill off main characters

the jokes felt very tiktok humor, the author used so many uppercase words and ?!s. overall, pretty mid spicy scenes and v plot heavy.

also more spoilers:
we’re not gonna talk about how astorias blood curse was healed by literally taking the curse out of her blood?? took them 800 pages to come up with that one 🙄

[diya · Rating 5 out of 5]

when i tell you if i could give it 10 stars, i would. this fanfic never had a dull moment and i couldn’t stop reading. i finished reading it at 2am and i’m praying there’s a second part because omg do i need it rn. this ff made me bawl my eyes out, squeal like an idiot and shout MANY times. read it right now!!

[Sammie Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

The tears are still drying on my face as I type this…that has to be the most far-fetched HEA I’ve ever read, but after the epic journey this novel took me on, I’ll take it. My battered heart and soul cannot cope with less. When I say that the first 30% of this book hurt me, know that I’m talking an almost physical sense of pain. Then came the next third of the book, and I started to think…maybe this won’t end the way I think it will. And now, just look at me. Huddled in my burrito blanket, furiously batting away tears that won’t stop. Just look at me.

Hermione Granger isn’t just a bookworm. She’s the Order’s fiercest soldier. And Draco Malfoy knows it. So when he captures Hermione and starts to use her as Voldemort’s new weapon, he’s not shocked at how hard she fights. However, he is shocked at how much he enjoys it. As Voldemort’s main guy, his Head Demon, Draco lost his soul long ago. Or so he thought. When he forced to keep Hermione at his manor, where his found (and dysfunctional) family also resides, his only thought is to do the Dark Lord’s bidding in order to protect what is left of the people he loves. Narcissa, Blaise and Astoria, Theo and Daphne, and their house elves Quinzel and Romy. He will do anything to protect them.

But then…slowly, OH SO SLOWLY, he falls for Granger. And then his family grows by one more. Only by the time their love is realized and out in the open, it becomes apparent that these two were always doomed. Because Hermione is the one thing that can stand between Voldemort and the rest of the world. And Draco is just selfish enough to want to keep her to himself. I won’t say anymore for fear of giving anything away but OH MY GOD, this is my favorite kind of Draco. The one who would burn the world for the one woman he can’t live without. His fierceness and protectiveness gave me life when everything looked so bleak. So while this is only a HEA if you squint your eyes and tilt your head, to me it was beautiful.

[b. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually try not to be judgemental of people's personal tastes considering my own, but if you read this and thought 'oh, this is so good, even better than manacled' just know that I'm judging you really, really hard.

How can anyone compare this to manacled is beyond me.

[steff ౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars ☆ i.am.not.okay

the fucking chokehold that this fic has on me.

i loved every single thing in here.

this book made me feel emotions that I didn’t know I could feel.

nobody talk to me for 3-5 business days. IM STILL HERE. I DONT WANNA LEAVE ‼️

"Does that really sound so bad? Me and you. Alone. Travelling the world together. Fighting and fucking in every country until we're old and grey. The thrill of it would keep us young for years."

"We wouldn't get old and grey - we'd kill each other within a few years."

"Maybe. But I think of the fun we'd have."

"In another life, I think I would have liked that."

"Another life. Yes, in another life, maybe."

[Lianna Mendez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so unwell I can’t even think anymore.
This was amazing! soul shattering and heartbreaking and pain inducing and life altering and so so worth it😭 I honestly just don’t have words🤧 this is something you have to experience

[Emily Jarecki · Rating 1 out of 5]

The worst book I have ever read. Really thought they did something but all I heard was Hermione saying "fuck" (how original).
- There was hardly any involvement with the wizarding world.
- Everyone was so detached from themselves, other characters, and the reader.
- None of the characters were true to their original selves. For those that actually manage to get through it (or further than me), I'm sure the original characters were butchered for you. If anything, it definitely leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
- So repetitive. Felt like I was reading the same thing for 3 days straight.
- I understand an enemies to lovers kinda trope but really. And I love it. But they portrayed Draco as a serious psychopath. Those that kind of end up on todays news with a person kidnapped unable to leave the house. Ya'll really want a romance with that kind of person? A kidnapper? Killer for fun? "Aww, but he loved her"- so sacrifice a whole crowd for one person??! No. Something is wrong with you guys and I fear for anyone wanting/popularizing this kind of abusive relationship. Story in general.

[hailey&#x1f940;&#x1f9a2;✮˖°. · Rating 5 out of 5]

a new top tier fanfic for me. this is real enemies to lovers and exactly what i wanted!! almost thought it was gonna be a 6 star read, but the ending fell a little flat for me. (also yes i cried. but i expected a lot worse?) otherwise, it was phenomenal and i already am having to hold myself back from going back to page 1 and immediately re-reading.

[suneater · Rating 1 out of 5]

probably the worst fic i’ve ever read

[Chlo ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m literally obsessed and depressed x

[&#x1065a; moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You are now bound together. Tied forever by blood," Voldemort whispered, his voice dripping with venom. Cruel. "Till death do you part."

I don’t know what I expected when I started this book. I don’t even know what kind of story I was really looking for. All I knew was that, right after finishing The Auction, I wanted to dive into another Dramione fanfiction — and dive I did.

I threw myself into this book without stopping to consider how I’d feel once it was over. I just kept reading, again and again, not really thinking about where it would all lead. Then curiosity got the better of me — I needed to know more, right away, faster. And I gave in to that curiosity.

I knew what was coming. And still, I finished it. That didn’t stop me — not even close.

But now, I just feel... empty. Not sad, not exactly happy either. Just hollow.
Because I had expected a story that would leave me smiling. One of those smiles that "reach the eyes," like authors love to say.
But the smile never reached mine.
Because I can’t stop thinking that they were robbed. They deserved better after everything.
I deserved to read the ending I had pictured in my mind.

And yet, even in this emptiness, I can’t deny that it all made sense — their story made sense. And I can’t imagine any other path that would have carried the same weight, the same meaning.

"You're right. I'd kill a thousand people to keep my family safe," he purred.
"But I dare say, I’d kill just as many to keep you all to myself."

I once read that the brain can’t really tell the difference between fiction and reality — and I get it. I get it. Because Draco and Hermione’s story felt so real to me. They felt real. At some point, I got attached to them.
And now, I can’t help but wonder if they’ll stay with me — always — every time I see a cherry blossom, or the color blue.

I didn’t just enjoy reading their story. I loved it.
And I loved it even more because of Astoria, Theo, Blaise, Romy, Narcissa and Quinzel.
Maybe they were "secondary characters," but they mattered just as much to me.
Each of them added something — a certain je ne sais quoi — that made this story unforgettable.

And alongside these characters I grew to love, the plot completely consumed me.
I needed more with every chapter. I wanted to keep going, again and again — and that’s exactly what I did.

This was my second Dramione fanfiction, and I adored it.
It’s left me in a strange state, but I love it nonetheless.
And I know I’ll keep thinking about it — for a long time — until I find the next fanfiction that will ease my heart again.

𐙚 Quotes - some quotes may be viewed as spoilers <3

He really was the perfect aristocrat, when he wasn't busy being a mass murderer.

If Astoria was Blaise's heart, then Blaise was her blood. Both vital to one's survival, but unable to exist without the other.

"You're right. I'd kill a thousand people to keep my family safe" he purred. "But I dare say that I'd kill just as many to keep you all to myself"

He didn't think he would ever get tired of their game. He could do this forever, dance with her for eternity while the rest of the world turned to ash around them, and he would never be fucking bored.

He looked vulnerable, not dangerous. He looked flushed. He looked uneasy. He looked ... like hers.

"Does that really sound so bad? Me and you. Alone. Travelling the world together. Fighting and fucking in every country until we're old and grey. The thrill of it would keep us young for years"

"It's called therapy, darling. Torture therapy. Look it up." Theo smirked. "You hurt her, so she hurts you back."

"Do you honestly believe that I would let you go that easily?"

"Or do you want me to get down on my fucking knees for you?"

Malfoy and Narcissa were extremely dangerous individually, but together, they were unstoppable.

Malfoy loved her.
He might not have said it outright, but he did, in his own, twisted, dark, Demon Mask sort of way.
He loved her.

"Granger," He said, and he smirked at her in that way that made her heart flutter. "Do you think my love for you is so fragile that something as simple as death could keep me from you?"

"Go back to sleep, Granger." Draco didn't open his eyes and his voice was low and husky enough to make her toes curl.
"Are you ever going to call me Hermione?"
He sucked his teeth and thought about it for half a second. "No."

"One grave." He said. "I want you to bury us together."

The Golden Lion, that was the name of the pub that'd become their second home.

Blood doesn't make a family, Hermione had never realised how true that statement was until she looked at the five Slytherins around her.

"Granger?"
"Granger?"
"HERMIONE!?"

[Cristina · Rating 1 out of 5]

Listen. I’m sorry. This just wasn’t for me. I feel awful being negative since this is fic and not published work and it’s free. But I read this because so many people recommended it on TikTok and I hadn’t seen one bad thing about it and I wish that I had because then I maybe never would have even started it. So without further ado…. Spoilers ahead.

Here are my notes:

- this was so, so unnecessarily long. I did the math comparing the word count to Kingdom of Ash by SJM, and this would clock in at 1600+ pages. To a certain extent, I understand that fic is different from published work. You write an outline, you decide what you want to accomplish in each chapter, the outline doesn’t actually produce many words, you write more so that you’re releasing a decent sized chapter each week. But dear lord. It was so long and so repetitive.

- the quality of writing was not good in my opinion. I felt it was very tell me instead of show me. So much monologuing. Not my thing.

- the handling of the dark aspects was also Not For Me. I don’t mind a dark fic, but I need it to be complex. I’m not the girl who is going to fall for a sadist if they’re not at least conflicted about the evils they are committing. Being a bad person and only feeling conflicted when Your Love comes in your life is NOT FOR ME. You still suck. Plus also nobody really got over their sadist tendencies? Even in the epilogue they continued to torture Barty Crouch Jr and the author was talking about how they were all great parents?????? HUH????????? With a HOSTAGE in your basement that you are actively TORTURING?

- everyone felt out of character. Especially Hermione. To the point where she just didn’t feel clever or intelligent. She was trying to puzzle out plot points that were so painfully obvious and she was oblivious and it’s like….????? HUH? Hermione girl where did you go?

- Theo and Romy (the “comic relief” characters) were not funny, they were cringe. I absolutely hated Theo in this. The incessant singing of Muggle Songs was so weird and out of place. They were blood status supremacists who happened to develop obsessions with 80s music? HUH? Just felt like a lazy attempt at humor without thinking through how unrealistic it was. He was also a literal sadist. And making Romy’s only personality trait that he is obsessed with Roast Potatoes and expecting me to laugh every time? No.

- it felt like the author didn’t know much about the Harry Potter world and magic in general. She only knew the names of like 5 spells. And the rest was all unnamed curses and hexes and charms and colored spells that worked dubiously. Everything that was An Obstacle was conveniently a spell that Only I Can Lift! That’s not really how things work in the HPU and it was way overused. Hermione and Draco felt impotent because they couldn’t solve any problems because each and every spell or charm or ward was only reversible by the caster. No.

- Both Draco and Hermione died and I literally wasn’t sad and I didn’t care. That’s how much I didn’t enjoy the story.

Anyway that’s it for now! I did not like it! From beginning to end. All the love and support to everyone who enjoyed it. I’m just not one of those people.

[Lyu Konyk · Rating 1 out of 5]

I believed all the reviews on this one, number of people that said it was so good. I couldn’t finish it.
I can see some of the things author tried to bring up. That both sides are monsters, that everyone in some way is evil. But it was twisted, cruel in the way I want to vomit.
Romanticising war, and pure evil, which is on “redemption”. It is sick. And when I think that all people who liked this book, actually might adore such characters development… I hope they never ever projecting such things on real life.
Till chapter 10 I still tried to understand what the fuss was all about this book. Again, I wanted to vomit. And not because of the description of violence, but the fact author is trying to justify it. Monsters are made all that staff. What I saw in this work was only evil sometimes is just evil.

Spoilers below:
Hermione, who was forced to kill her friends, she had “almost broken heart”, she looked in the beautiful eyes of Malfoy. What is she? Object without common sense?
Common sense seems to be missing in the whole book.

I just hope, one day people stop romanticising such things, or justify them. Even if it is in the books, it is still as much harmful. If Draco Malfoy looked a bit different - old, ugly, short and skinny, would it be the same?
Again, twisted, awful, lack of common sense, huge logic caps in the plot, and the worst - such enemies to lovers should, Gods, be forbidden to use in any writing. If someone comes and kills your family, torture your friends and make you do the same, you don’t justify the reasons. And totally you don’t kiss or snagg that person.