snowgall

I'm combining two character-centric HP fests into one rec post for rectober. Back in January, the

harrybang fest gave us Harry-focused lengthy fics, and more recently

bottom_draco gave us Draco-focused transformation fics. So what could be better than the two together?
All fics recced are Drarry, of course :)

HarryBang

Right Hand Red by lumosed_quill ( NC-17 | 73,000 )
Summary: Harry felt Malfoy's breath on his lips as they came together over the bottle, hands firmly planted on the floor as though they each needed their familiar soil, refusing to cross into enemy territory. Except that Malfoy no longer felt like his enemy. Malfoy felt inevitable.

It's everything I love most in a fic--8th year, party games, first times, coming out, hotness and subtle humor. And oh the many clever bits: Luna not getting the memo that she isn't an 8th year student, Ned-the-Hufflepuff who nobody knows his last name until almost the end of the year, and the point portrait!Snape makes about his ability to keep secrets (omigod this is SUCH a good line!).
And I loved that the author took the standard party games trope and did nifty new things with it. Like Twister: has anyone ever used that one before? If so, I haven't read it, and it was super hot. And then instead of having spin-the-bottle be a game where Harry is dreading that he might be made to kiss Malfoy (which seems to be the more typical trope) she had it be a game where Harry was desperately hoping he'd get to kiss Draco. And truth-or-dare is saved to the end and ends up being meaningful rather than the more typical use as a source of embarrassment.
All of the characters are so very well captured and it was just a wonderful read--very well done and well worth your time.
Oh! and the artwork by iwao is phenomenal too. Go and see!
(extended rec at hd-storyroom)

Kiss Me (Under the Light of a Thousand Stars) by sophie_french ( NC-17 | 115,000 )
Summary: Harry rescues Draco Malfoy from Azkaban, where he has been imprisoned for three years after the war. Draco is not as Harry remembers, as Azkaban leaves its mark on even the strongest of wizards. With no memory of who he was or how he came to be in Harry's care, Draco needs Harry's help if he is to have any hope of making a full recovery. But Harry has his own demons to fight and together with saving Draco, Harry must also discover a way to find himself.

Lovely story; immediately captivating and very readable. I loved how she lets the story take its time, especially in the beginning when Draco was so broken and needed so long to heal. It was fascinating to see how Draco kept improving little by little, without whitewashing how difficult every increment of his progress would have to be. The idea of using borrowed memories from his friends to unlock his own made so much sense, and the way these memories were partially familiar to the reader from canon but also sometimes seen from a new angle or of events just before or after ones we knew about was just great. All the conversations that Harry had with Draco or with Hermione or with Ron or with anyone were always so thoughtful and clearly came from a place of wisdom gained from hard experience. Even though it was ostensibly about Draco needing to heal, clearly Harry had some healing to do too, and watching them grow together (and then apart!) and then together again was very touching.

Bottom_Draco

My Life As A Butterfly by digthewriter ( NC-17 | 22,300 )
Summary: At the age of seventeen, Harry finds himself falling in love with a detached Draco Malfoy. Through a series of unfortunate miscommunications and gossip, he had a bad falling out (of love), too. Now, years later, can Harry make amends about a misunderstanding? Would Draco forgive him?

I really liked this so much! And I have to admit it surprised me: I usually don't like no-Voldemort AUs, so the fact that I enjoyed this fic so much was completely unexpected but very welcome! Somehow the author just pulled it off and made it work :)
I got hooked from the beginning, when they're in school and Harry is courting Draco. I just love that sort of thing. And then I could just *tell* there was going to be a big misunderstanding, and I was bracing myself for it, and...wow. Surprisingly, I minded it less than I thought! I think the author does a really nice job with it. They were both young and stupid, and when they meet again, they're more mature and talk like adults. And Draco apologizes nicely and their conversations are really lovely and naturalistic and moving. The sex is really good too :) So all around it was a great read and an enjoyable fic ♥

Full Circle by sp_owl ( NC-17 | 14,000 )
Summary: It seems Harry has come full circle when his rather complacent life is interrupted by one Draco Malfoy. With wings.

What's a transformations fest without a good sexy Veela fic? Harry's been in a couple of lackluster het relationships - he's currently in one with a very perceptive Luna - when he runs into Draco again 5 years after the war. Of course he's inexplicably drawn to him, and vice versa, though they're both ridiculously clueless about the whole 'mate' thing :) Draco's reaction whenever Harry touches his wings should really clue them in though - it's seriously erotic. Once they get together it's super hot and sexy good fun.

For those who care: All the fics above are bottom!Draco, except for Kiss Me (Under the Light of a Thousand Stars), which is switching.