Mini-theme: Identity Unknown (part 2)
Mar. 1st, 2015 04:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snowgallAs promised, here's a mini-list of fics where Draco is hiding his identity and Harry is deceived. For some reason, I seem to like this situation better than the reverse scenario, where Harry is the one in disguise. Perhaps because somehow the process of watching Draco hide his surface identity lets the reader actually get a deeper look at who Draco really is underneath. Most of these fics are thus Draco-centric, taking the time to develop Draco's character and making you empathize with him.
(I'm calling this 'Identity Unknown' but as I mentioned last time, fanlore calls this trope 'Identity Porn' while tvtropes calls it 'Loves My Alter Ego').
Fics where Draco is in disguise and Harry is clueless:
For all that these fics share the same theme, they really couldn't be more different from one another. One features rent-boy!Draco, one genderbent!Draco, another pen-pal!Draco and in one it's supposed-to-be-dead!Draco. But all of them use the fact that Draco is in disguise to show the reader who Draco is in reality.
I don't know if identity-in-disguise is![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lettered's favorite trope or if she just does it exceptionally well (or both). In "Another Mask Behind You" Draco is an escort who uses polyjuice to disguise himself from his clients. When none other than Harry Potter hires him for an evening, he initially feels it's his chance for revenge. What's amazing about this fic is how we watch Draco's feelings for Harry slowly morph from hatred to love, and then once the ruse is uncovered, we see Harry go through the same process. And it's not easy, nor is it rushed. I've recced this fic several times before, but it's too good not to rec again.
"Take These Lies" bywhite_serpent is the fic that made me finally appreciate genderbending as a trope. This is primarily Draco's story; he learns the hard way that the only way he can join the Aurors is by hiding his identity. It turns out that the easiest way to carry out the charade for an extended amount of time (years, actually!) is to wear a ring that changes his gender when worn and that can easily be removed at will. I loved this story because Draco's essential character never changes, even when he's in disguise. He doesn't try to act that feminine, he's not interested in being a woman for real, and he especially doesn't want to have sex while pretending to be one. This is just something he feels he has to do to have the career he wants. The focus is on Draco for most of the first half, and we don't see much of Harry until the second half. But Harry is awesome here, as are Ron and Hermione. This author is such a wonderful writer, and I'm just sad that as far as I know they've only ever written two Drarry stories. (The other is You Can Have My Everything which capitu recced here).
pir8fancier's "Lettered" has Draco writing anonymous letters to Harry while they're still at Hogwarts. The way the story is told entirely through the missives that Draco sends to Harry is amazing. Despite only seeing one side of the conversation, the reader has no difficulty imagining what Harry is writing in return and how the two of them are interacting in class--where Harry still thinks Draco is a prat. The Draco we get to know from his letters is such a deeply rendered character, thoughtful and misunderstood. You just want to knock Harry over the head for failing to see this side of him sooner, and for being unable to figure out who has been writing to him all this time.
"Quietus" bynovembersnow, is different from the other fics because in this one Draco is in disguise against his will. He is under the protection of the Order of the Phoenix after the final battle, and staying in a safehouse with an unknowing Harry Potter. Several false stories about Draco's motives and whereabouts have been spread about, and it's frustrating for Draco to see Harry believing the worst about him when he can't properly defend himself. But while they're forced to spend so much time together we get a nice slow relationship development and interactions which feel authentic and in character. I especially loved that the author gave us flashbacks to the Sectumsempra scene and used this to create some fascinating parallels from the past to the present.
This was going to be just a two-part series, but while researching this I re-discovered a couple of my favorite Dramione fics which use this trope too. So if anyone else likes het as well as slash, I'll rec a few of those next time :)
More in this series:
Identities Unknown Part 1: Both Harry and Draco in Disguise
(I'm calling this 'Identity Unknown' but as I mentioned last time, fanlore calls this trope 'Identity Porn' while tvtropes calls it 'Loves My Alter Ego').
Fics where Draco is in disguise and Harry is clueless:
| Title | Author | Rated | Length | Pub Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| lettered |
NC-17 | 120,000 | 12/19/2014 | |
Draco is a high-end prostitute who hides his identity. Harry unknowingly hires him. And then there is porn, questions about identity, domestic bliss, more porn, and truth as seen through a web of lies. (And then more porn. Seriously, if you don’t want sex scene after sex scene you probably shouldn’t read this. And please read the warnings.) | ||||
| white_serpent |
R | 34,600 | 10/2/2010 | |
Repeatedly rejected by the Auror training program, Draco Malfoy attempts an unorthodox disguise to gain admission. | ||||
| pir8fancier |
NC-17 | 16,850 | 10/3/2004 | |
Harry has a secret penpal, whose identity is as plain as the nose on his face. Except he's not wearing his glasses. | Draco's love affair with his quill gets him in trouble. | ||||
| novembersnow |
PG-13 | 17,600 | 12/29/2012 | |
To save himself and his family, Draco must disappear in plain sight—of Harry Potter, that is. | ||||
For all that these fics share the same theme, they really couldn't be more different from one another. One features rent-boy!Draco, one genderbent!Draco, another pen-pal!Draco and in one it's supposed-to-be-dead!Draco. But all of them use the fact that Draco is in disguise to show the reader who Draco is in reality.
I don't know if identity-in-disguise is
lettered's favorite trope or if she just does it exceptionally well (or both). In "Another Mask Behind You" Draco is an escort who uses polyjuice to disguise himself from his clients. When none other than Harry Potter hires him for an evening, he initially feels it's his chance for revenge. What's amazing about this fic is how we watch Draco's feelings for Harry slowly morph from hatred to love, and then once the ruse is uncovered, we see Harry go through the same process. And it's not easy, nor is it rushed. I've recced this fic several times before, but it's too good not to rec again."Take These Lies" by
white_serpent is the fic that made me finally appreciate genderbending as a trope. This is primarily Draco's story; he learns the hard way that the only way he can join the Aurors is by hiding his identity. It turns out that the easiest way to carry out the charade for an extended amount of time (years, actually!) is to wear a ring that changes his gender when worn and that can easily be removed at will. I loved this story because Draco's essential character never changes, even when he's in disguise. He doesn't try to act that feminine, he's not interested in being a woman for real, and he especially doesn't want to have sex while pretending to be one. This is just something he feels he has to do to have the career he wants. The focus is on Draco for most of the first half, and we don't see much of Harry until the second half. But Harry is awesome here, as are Ron and Hermione. This author is such a wonderful writer, and I'm just sad that as far as I know they've only ever written two Drarry stories. (The other is You Can Have My Everything which capitu recced here).pir8fancier's "Lettered" has Draco writing anonymous letters to Harry while they're still at Hogwarts. The way the story is told entirely through the missives that Draco sends to Harry is amazing. Despite only seeing one side of the conversation, the reader has no difficulty imagining what Harry is writing in return and how the two of them are interacting in class--where Harry still thinks Draco is a prat. The Draco we get to know from his letters is such a deeply rendered character, thoughtful and misunderstood. You just want to knock Harry over the head for failing to see this side of him sooner, and for being unable to figure out who has been writing to him all this time."Quietus" by
novembersnow, is different from the other fics because in this one Draco is in disguise against his will. He is under the protection of the Order of the Phoenix after the final battle, and staying in a safehouse with an unknowing Harry Potter. Several false stories about Draco's motives and whereabouts have been spread about, and it's frustrating for Draco to see Harry believing the worst about him when he can't properly defend himself. But while they're forced to spend so much time together we get a nice slow relationship development and interactions which feel authentic and in character. I especially loved that the author gave us flashbacks to the Sectumsempra scene and used this to create some fascinating parallels from the past to the present.This was going to be just a two-part series, but while researching this I re-discovered a couple of my favorite Dramione fics which use this trope too. So if anyone else likes het as well as slash, I'll rec a few of those next time :)
More in this series:
Identities Unknown Part 1: Both Harry and Draco in Disguise
