What follows is a list of my picks for the best Drarry fanfiction of 2015
(37 fics, sorted by date published)

Note: There are so many lists of favorite Harry/Draco fanfiction, but I'm doing something a little different. Rather than create a list based on genre or length or era or whatever, I've decided to do a series of "best-of X year" lists. This means the year the work was published not the year I read it.

Once again, this list was hard to pare down! I read more fanfic published in 2015 than in any other year, and between my LJ blog and hd_storyroom, I recced 93 Drarry fics from 2015. Consequently lots of good fics aren't included on this list. In the end any list is just an arbitrary thing based on one person's no doubt flawed opinion. It says nothing about the quality of any fics not on it!

More lists:

• Best of 2015
• Best of 2014
• Best of 2013
• Best of 2012
• Best of 2011
• Best of 2010
• Best of 2009
• Best of 2007-8
• Why am I making these lists?

General notes:

• The "original post" column provides links to the first place I can find evidence of the work online. However, it can be really tough to determine when and where a work was first published (see my rant here: Dates Matter). So it could be that a fic was actually published earlier somewhere else and I didn't know it. Corrections are welcome.
• I've read a lot of HD fiction, but I certainly haven't read it all, so if I've left off something you think I shouldn't have, I'm happy for you to let me know.
• I may continue to add works to this list but I will try to keep the total number to something reasonable. (On the challenge of maintaining lists)
• My goal is to add lists for other years as well, time permitting.

How my fic preferences will skew the lists:

• I tend to like fics which contain explicit sex, so the list will probably skew that way. However, I prefer that there be an actual plot, not just sex, and I read PG rated fics too--just fewer of them.
• I like almost all the standard tropes, but I don't usually go for non-magical AUs, unhappy endings, dark!fic, or threesomes
• I don't give a toss who's on top or bottom, so you'll find both here.
• I shy away from epic-length fanfiction unless I'm very confident in the author, so most of my recs will be less than 100,000 words.

Yesterday vaysh got everyone on a Trope Meme kick, which was tons of fun. And then in a comment thread, she went and said:

"It would actually be fun to make rec lists of fics to go with the trope. It would take ages, though. :)

So I went through the original list of 28 tropes and tried to find a representative (and awesome) HD rec for each one, while also trying not to duplicate any fics. But I decided that the original list was inadequate.

• Some tropes needed to be renamed to more clearly fit HP (e.g. "High School/Uni AU" --> "8th year")
• Some tropes needed to have subcategories within the trope (e.g. "Vampires/Werewolves AU" --> "Creature!fic" --> Veela, Werewolf, Vampire, etc.)

Once I did that, however, I felt like too many good fics were not being represented, so I added a bunch of additional HP tropes (second list at the end). All in all, I've recced 66 fics from 56 authors!

And even after all of that, there are still 4 tropes from the list that I could not think of any recs for:

• Coffee House AU/Food Service AU
• Fake Out Make Out
• Incest
• Selfcest

And also let me know if you think I missed any important tropes or fics that should have been recced instead

dracotops_harry

Make Me a Headline (I Want To Be That Bold) by dicta_contrion, NC-17, 31,000 words

There is SO MUCH I loved about this fic. Draco and Harry had been lovers ten years ago, after the war, but Draco had let his fears get the better of him and had left Harry with no explanation. Now he's the editor of the Daily Prophet, and has come across incriminating photos that he uses to blackmail Harry into going on a date with him again. Harry here wears his heart on his sleeve. It's clear how much he misses Draco, how much he desperately wants to get back together, and how happy he is to accompany Draco to the gala, even despite his hurt and anger over the past. And Harry was so very hurt, and Draco's behavior seemed so very inexplicable. But the author does such a wonderful job of showing the reader just how confused and afraid Draco still is, and how much of himself he has been holding in check for so long. As much as I kinda hated Draco for hurting Harry so badly and being so thick about it, I absolutely loved the emotional build-up in this fic and how well these characters were drawn: how wonderful and patient and kind Harry is, and how much he still *gets* Draco; and how Draco can barely let himself believe that Harry might take him back. The ending is so very satisfying too. Really taking the time to show how much is at stake, how hesitant and cautious they both are, yet also how desperately they both still want each other. It's truly lovely.

In His Nature by create_serenity, NC-17, 20,600 words

I really enjoyed this! I'm a sucker for the whole Veela trope, and this was a great example of all the things I love about it: pining!Draco self-sacrificing!Draco and oblivious!Harry. Yum :)
Harry was really thick here, but I loved how understanding slowly dawned on him and how he started to finally *get* Draco. And him complaining that sex with a Veela wasn't as great as it had been made out to be was pretty funny too - if Draco didn't love the git so much he'd probably have to kill him for that ♥
Just oh! why did it have to end so soon? I wanted more!

The Coefficient of Friction by daftfear, NC-17, 18,100 words

Well written, enjoyable story giving a surprising depth of character to both Draco and Harry. I loved the subtlety of Draco's reactions to the thoughtless remarks that Harry would say - how much they revealed about Draco's true feelings. Harry here is a bit clueless (and kinda thick headed about what Draco might be 'up' to!) but ultimately sweetly open and honest in the end. And wow, the end, so hot too!

The Rewards of Bravery by lauren3210, NC-17, 13,000 words

Lovely little story. I always like plots centered around forced truth-telling, whether that's due to veritaserum, or legilimency, or some other magical effect like this one (and this one was quite unique, which was cool!)
And I felt that Harry spent the right amount of time being confused about the ringing before Hermione figured it out. If he had figured it out for himself too quickly it wouldn't have been believable, but if his confusion had lasted too long it would have been frustrating, so this felt just right :) And the confession scene at the end was beautifully done.

Get It Right by kjp_013, PG-13, 1,750 words

That was so cute and so fun! I loved the banter between Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and I loved how determined Harry was to learn to kiss better. Kissing lessons from Draco! And Draco being so blase, like, sure, why not, let's do this, and Harry not realizing that learning how to kiss would actually involve, you know, *kissing*.
Truly a lovely little story, I only wish it had been longer!

"That Picture" Scenes

The 'That Picture' flash fest at hd_remix has just ended and I am in awe of all the amazing stories inspired by Alekina's fantastic art:

I thought it would be cool to excerpt quotes from each of the fest fics of the scene which most closely resembles Alekina's picture. In order of publication:

Note: my previous rec list of Dark Mark removal fics were not inspired by Alekina's art, so I will be posting a new set of selected recs from this fest shortly! here.

Since I seem to be almost out of lists to make, I thought I'd do a little mini-theme list. Just a set of three ficlets that on the surface seem to tell the same story, but actually showcase just how differently the same story can be told in the hands of different authors.

What's cool is how very dissimilar each of these ficlets are, even though they all involve more-or-less the same crucial incident: that of the boys inadvertently wearing each other's tie by mistake and thus revealing their previously secret relationship to the Hogwarts student body.

Note that the second and third fics in this list were both inspired by the same tumblr gifset that went viral in July 2014.

Title	Author	Rated	Length	Pub Date
Shame	faithwood	NC-17	1,700	3/16/2012
Draco can handle it, as long as they do it under the cover of darkness. Broom cupboard sex. Some angst. 2nd person PoV.
The Ties That Bind Us	dracoxlovesxharry	PG	1,200	7/29/2014
In which Harry dresses a little too quickly after some alone time with his secret lover.
Tie Me Up in Knots	lauren3210	NC-17	2,000	10/29/2014
“Harry, are you wearing a Slytherin tie?”

faithwood's Shame was written earliest, and indeed pre-dates the gifset that inspired both of the two subsequent fics. Shame is also quite different from the other two fics because it is written with 2nd person POV, and its focus is entirely on Draco and his thoughts and perceptions.

As the title suggests, in Shame Draco can barely acknowledge that he and Harry have a relationship at all, and in fact they barely speak to each other. But once the switch happens, Draco ends up quietly wearing the wrong tie all day--almost defiantly.

Both Shame and dracoxlovesxharry's The Ties that Bind Us are about Draco getting over his hangups. When the tie switch happens in both stories, Draco realizes it but he refrains from telling Harry or doing anything to stop it before they're caught. But that's where the similarities end.

In The Ties that Bind Us, Harry and Draco argue about going public (Harry's for it) before Draco ultimately takes advantage of the tie switch mistake to make a grand romantic gesture in the great hall. We still get primarily Draco's POV here, but it's more limited, and through his POV we also get to see a little more of Harry too. The way their relationship is portrayed makes for a sweet and endearing story.

lauren3210's Tie Me Up in Knots is the only one of the three to have the focus be more on Harry, as well as showcasing Ron and Hermione's reactions as well. It's more humorous, and also feautures a much more confident and possessive Draco than either of the other two: he didn't know about the tie switch until Harry told him, but he clearly doesn't mind at all. This is probably the hottest version of the bunch.

I enjoyed all these fics, and could probably read another dozen on the same theme without hesitation :)

hd_erised

Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop, NC-17, 70,000 words

This was so unbelievably brilliant! It's just so very clever and well crafted and a great character study of Draco. It's like Groundhog Day in that even though the same day keeps repeating over and over, it never actually feels repetitive, or only in ways that make for a better story. And oh, the ways the confessions and revelations come out are so delicious. The conversations all feel natural and right and the emotional investment just builds and builds. And omigod the legilimency scene...there are no words! So much love for this fic! (extended rec at hd-storyroom)
Not only is this my pic for the single best fic of the fest, but it's also one of the very best Drarry fics I've ever read!

Another Mask Behind You by lettered, NC-17, 120,000 words

The premise is fantastic. It's fascinating seeing how Draco viewed Potter in the beginning, versus how Harry really was; that Draco deluded himself consistently, over and over again. His resentment is reasonable given his treatment after the war, yet he's baffled by Potter and can't seem to figure it out. Until he does. And then we learn that Harry has his delusions too--how he thought the laws after the war made sense, and didn't understand how Draco could be a prostitute. And I loved that the story took the time to really delve into Draco's character and what shaped him and also to show how their relationship changed over time and even after Harry learned who Tristan/Draco was, how long it really took for him to trust Draco again. And all of this is illustrated through sex too, which is incredible. Wow. (extended rec at hd-storyroom)

(The Piece) I was Missing All Along by lauren3210, NC-17, 31,000 words

Lovely. Super hot and emotional and a great story. I loved how well both of their characters were developed and how real their interactions and relationship felt. So happy that the start of their friendship in 8th year was shown too. Such witty writing, and Draco's heartfelt speeches at the end were terrific, as was the way the readers *knew* Harry was pining for Draco all this time even though it was Draco's POV. Well done.

Love Comes Tumbling by taradiane, NC-17, 22,000 words

Very well written. I loved the scene where Draco admitted he was gay and couldn't be friends with Potter--it was so raw and real and full of anguish. And I felt that how Harry explained his confusion and epiphany about his orientation made so much sense too. The only thing I didn't like was how long it took Ron and Hermione to come around. They needed to see how much their disapproval was hurting Harry and get over it faster! But really, all the interactions between Harry and Draco were excellent and very realistic, and both their characters were beautifully drawn. Very very well done and lovely.

In Which Harry is Magnetic North and Draco Is An Idiot by bryoneybrynn, PG-13, 13,500 words

Charming and sweet. I liked Potter's depiction in this story--confident and competent without being over-the-top. Draco's obliviousness was cute, though maybe a little less credible. But I liked how even though there were misunderstandings, they weren't of the drawn-out to death cliche type, and they were able to talk to each other like adults. Lovely story.

in the electricity of your touch by tryslora, NC-17, 25,000 words

I'm a sucker for the ABO trope, and this was super hot and sexy and very fun. I liked that when Harry was hurt by thinking Draco wanted him as a brood mare that they talked about it like rational people and didn't go all cliche silent treatment. And I loved the dirty talk and the concept of soul mates and how it was done.