Carlie

•  All Life is Yours To Miss by Saras_Girl – That part in chapter 2 where Draco was struck by the image of Harry lying in a pool of blood- which was really just all in his head - and in order to calm himself, he reached out and pressed his palm against Harry’s chest to feel his heartbeat, which grew quicker under Draco’s touch.

“ “Sorry,” he whispers, leaning over Potter and gently pressing his palm to his chest. He’s warm, and Draco’s knees almost give out beneath him with stupid relief…”

“ Fascinated, Draco lays his palm over Potter’s heart and allows the steady beat to calm him. The rhythm speeds slightly under his touch and he pulls back, realising that he’d be nervous—or even angry—too, if someone started prodding his chest in the middle of the night. ”

• All Must Draw Near by Saras_Girl – Draco’s Christmas present for Harry which contained several potion vials all labelled with their own special function. This was my favourite Christmas gift that I’ve read in any fic because of how personal and sweet and thoughtful and so true to their characters it was.

“ To Harry,

I hope you can find some peace of mind

- Draco “

• Turn by Saras_girl (again lol) – Harry desperately trying to savor every last second of his last night in the glimpse world (I drew a little art for that scene which you can find here). And also this scene:

“It’s not a biscuit,” Draco insists, holding it up to his face and examining the layers. “Biscuits are hard… and… brown.” He frowns. “I rather like the stripy middle, though.”

Harry’s heart leaps at the tiny connection, insignificant and wonderful as it falls into place.

• Blood and Fire by @lqtraintracks​ – The scene with Draco gazing out the window in nothing but Harry’s jeans. (which I’ve also made art for). And also this scene:

“Shut up, you know I mean it. I’ve already said it. I love you.”

“Harry…”

“If you prefer, I could put it another way.” Harry wrapped his hand around the base of Draco’s skull, moving in closer on legs that still didn’t want to work properly. “I could tell you, for instance, that you’re inside me.” He met Draco’s blinking gaze unwaveringly. “You’re inside me, Draco.”

• There is Always the Moon by @bixgirl1​: 

He turns his face to the side, cheek still pressed to his knees, and he whispers, “I’m scared.”

The admission hangs in the air between them, and Draco wishes he could take it back, that he could bite into it and swallow it down and keep it inside him. Because the way Potter’s face crumples at Draco’s confession is something he wishes he’d never seen.

• (Gonna borrow @mirroredsarcophagus ‘s answer because I too relate to this moment so viscerally.) That Old Black Magic by @bixgirl1​: In which Harry fiercely denied associating Draco with the term ‘sweet’ throughout the fic until this one, pivotal moment:

“You’re— so—”

“What?” Draco sucked his lower lip between his teeth, released it. He darted a look to the tapestry, then quietly inhaled when Harry stepped even closer — not moving back. Waiting.

“Sweet.” Harry’s voice cracked with the admission, a single syllable halved in the middle. His chest aching from it, and from the expression that rippled across Draco’s features.

“Sweet,” he said roughly. “D’you see?”

“Not me,” Draco scoffed. “Never that.” But he was smiling, even as he moved his hips against Harry’s in reminder, and that was sweet too.

“You,” Harry said. “Sweetheart,” the endearment dropping off his tongue like another language he’d woken up knowing.

• Our Little Life by @tackytigerfic​ – 

“….Or every time dream-Malfoy had said his name (Henri, Hendrik, Hari, Anraoi, Harry, Harry, Harry…) but now he concentrated on it, felt his way back to the dream-Harry of nearly two millennia before, lives and lives and lives ago and all of them spent loving Malfoy. “

• Litany by thistle_verse - “I have six more months on my sentence. I want to come to you as a free man, in the flesh, with all my faults and flaws and every true mark on my skin. Do you understand? I want to knock, and I want you to choose to let me in.” He sighed. “I want to feel all of it, for real, and not as an escape for either of us. Tell me you understand.” 
• Crown Witness by @slytherco​ :

Unable to stop himself, Harry buries his nose in the platinum locks, inhaling the scent he didn’t understand before, baffled at how someone so sharp can smell like the softest whisper of home.

“You said it’s a job,” Draco whispers when they part, his eyes shut tight.

Harry tucks a blond lock behind his ear. “You were never going to be just a job.”

• Running On Air by @tinyhistory​ :

Harry wants to answer her, but he doesn’t know how to phrase it. It was like flying, he thinks, but with no broom, no spells, nothing. Just rushing through the sky, and he’s reminded so strongly of that night Draco drove by the river and it felt like they were travelling through the sky, the world disappearing beneath them and the stars falling like rain.

“It was like running on air,” Harry says at last.

• The Shape of the World by @bixgirl1​ – He’s sorry for the misdeeds of his past, but he knows he can be better than that as he looks at Harry and the shape of his world shifts into something new.

• The order setting up a trap at Godrics Hollow. When Voldemort comes to kill Harry, he’s surrounded by the order of the Phoenix and taken out. Killed. Stopped. Murdered!
• The war is over. There’s still some fighting while the aurors try to get the rest of the death eaters to Azkaban. The ones they do have are judged and sentenced to Azkaban for 20 years. Some people see Voldemort as a martyr and keep doing his work in secret
• Regulus goes before the ministry and pleads guilty to his crimes as a death eater but due to statements from Dumbledore, Sirius, and James testifying on his work in bringing down Voldemort, he spends 1 year in Azkaban instead of a 20 year imprisonment like Peter and Snape. Regulus is visited weekly by Sirius where they laugh and talk about his plans for when he gets out.
• The Marauders are tired of fighting. They’re young and feel as though they’ve lived lifetimes. They lost their innoncence and youth in a war that wasn’t theirs. They don’t want to fight anymore. They don’t want to destroy. They want to build. They want to help bring the wizarding world back to its former glory. So they all study to become professors because what better way can they help rebuild the wizarding world than to teach the next generation and help them be better so that they would never go through the same things they did.
• After years of studying and getting degrees, they all apply to Hogwarts as professors. It’s difficult for James and Lily to juggle being professors and parents but they always make it work. Dumbledore is thrilled to have his former and favorite students back to teach.
• Lily Potter becomes Professor Evans of potions (she teaches with her maiden name because she studied and earned her degree, not her husband) with a glowing recommendation from a retiring Slughorn. She’s a fantastic professor. A little strict but always helpful and puts her students first. After a year of teaching, she asks Dumbledore for an teachers assistant. Dumbledore was a little iffy on who she wanted but he welcomed a shy yet extremely intelligent Regulus Black to the Hogwarts staff as her assistant.
• Sirius Black becomes Professor Black of transfiguration. When McGonagall asked him what experience he had in transfiguration, he turned into Padfoot in front of her. He explained, rather sheepishly, about what they did back in their third year for Remus. She was angry of course because of how risky it was but also very impressed and proud of him for completing one of the most difficult and dangerous transfigurations. She gave him a letter of recommendation on the spot. They became co teachers and taught different classes of students. He helped balance out her strict nature with his warm and humorous one.
• James Potter becomes Professor Potter of charms. He wasn’t sure which subject would fit him best but he decided to go after charms. And it was the best choice he could’ve made because he was amazing at teaching the subject. Flitwick loved having him as a student and was so happy that James came back to teach. The students loved being in his class because he brought so much energy and constructive teaching.
• Remus Lupin became Professor Lupin of defense against the dark arts. The position fit him like a glove. The students loved his class. He was such a good professor that he broke the curse on the defense against the dark arts position and remained in the position for years and years to come. He was monumental in decreasing stigma against werewolves and taught from his own experience.
• James and Sirius of course had pranks they would pull on each other’s classes. The students LIVED for their mock rivalry. Sirius’ favorite prank was to replace James’ wand with a mock replica and burst out laughing from outside the classroom when James would try to demonstrate a charm and nothing happened.
• Once a month, James, Remus, and Sirius would head to Azkaban and visit Peter. At first he refused to even look them in the face. But after about a year of visits, he asked for their forgiveness and eventually they forgave him. They never trusted him again but they did forgive him. Peter looked forward to these visits. It did wonders for his mental health.
• Lily would come along on these visits and sit down with Snape. He was embarrassed at first and refused to see her. But after coming again and again, he finally saw her. And they talked. They laughed and talked about their childhoods. And eventually she forgave him after many, many years. He started taking responsibility for his actions instead of blaming others and eventually (years and years later), asked Lily if James would accompany her. And he apologized for his role that almost killed Harry. And James apologized for being a dick. They weren’t friends or allies but rather just not enemies anymore. They let go of a foolish childhood rivalry.
• When McGonagall retired early, James and Sirius battled for head of Gryffindor house. It got so bad that Dumbledore tweaked the rules so that they could be co-heads of Gryffindor house. James worked closely with the quidditch team while Sirius worked closely with the prefects