Ruth Sadelle Alderson

I've been devouring Harry/Draco fic at a steady rate for the past couple of days. I usually say I like first time stories, but I don't think that's it. I've read a lot of things that end when they get together, but leave me thinking, "But how does it work now?" (Generally speaking, I'm too practical for typical romance. Have you heard "Remind Me" by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood? I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be terribly romantic, but every time I hear the lyric, "you missed your flight/but that meant we had one more night," all I can think is, "That's so irresponsible!") I think what I really like are not necessarily getting together stories so much as learning to be together stories. This is why I love stories with non-sexual intimacy before they're actually together and stories where they're sleeping together before they fall in love.

This weekend, I read saras_girl's Reparations, a getting together story, and its sequel, Foundations, which is the next step of them being together. (Argh! I read them at an archive with horribly ugly formatting I had to turn off and only now do I find that they're also on LJ, which is where those links go.) They were so good I don't really need to read any more Harry/Draco fic. (Although, let's be honest: I probably will.) Harry is in training to be a Healer when he gets assigned to the Chemical Dependency rotation. Chem Dep is officially under the purview of Healer Redrow, but Stage Two - the post-detox rehab part of it - is entirely run by Draco. Harry and Draco learn to get along, then find they're attracted to each other, figure out that they can be together, and then move on with twining their lives together. Each story has a plot, and the plots felt real and interesting and not as if they were there only because the author thought she had to have a plot other than people falling in love. She also does an incredible job with the sex scenes. There are a lot of them in the second story, but I didn't get bored with them. Like the plots, they fit naturally into the story and never seemed shoehorned in for the sake of smut. The only warning I have for you about reading these stories is that they are very long, so if you, like me, don't have the self-control to walk away and come back to it later, you may want to wait to read them until you have a large chunk of time to devote to them.

I almost didn't make a post about this, and here's why: I read the book once, and quickly, and once I was done, I was, in many ways, done with Harry Potter. I no longer remember any details about the book, so seeing the movies was like meeting the story anew all over again. There's something they kept in the movie that made me wince (see below the cut for details), and I remembered it bothering me in the book too, so I went back to see if/how I talked about it at the time. Half the comments on that entry are people telling me I'm wrong, and I was surprised by how much that hurt. After thinking about it, I realized I was still upset about the first time people told me I was wrong about Harry Potter (even though it was ten years ago, and even though I turned out to be right after all). But then I thought about it some more and I decided (a) to hell with this; I'm an adult, and I can handle people disagreeing with me, and (b) I've decided that if last year's summer meltdown involved flashbacks to high school and this year's involves flashbacks to college, that must be progress. So here's a post with my four HP bullet points and my two recs requests.

( Spoilers )

I've had a rough summer, emotionally speaking, which required a lot of comfort. Consequently, I've memorized all of my favorite romance fics/books/movies that I didn't already have memorized.

This is where you come in. I'm looking for more romance. I want declarations of love, dramatic scenes in the rain, running through the terminal to catch the plane. Rec me your favorite romance fics, books, movies.

To give you an idea of what I'm looking for, and to serve as something of an exchange, here's a list of all the favorites I can think of:

Fic

Xander and the Magic Lamp by tesla321, Spike/Xander.

Francesca, Jim/Blair. I like lots of Francesca's stuff, but particular comfort favorites are "Nature's Conferences," "Stands for Comfort," "Bother," and "Legacy."

Little Runaway and Little Runaway 2 by tabaqui, Spike/Xander.

Conjunctions by flaming_muse, Spike/Xander.

Entrenous (website, LJ memories), Spike/Xander, Xander/Andrew. Entrenous has written many good romances. I particularly like "Shacking Up," "Expecting," "A Living Growing Thing," "For the Count," and "Spander on Ice."

Spikedluv, Spike/Xander. Favorites include "When Visions Come True" and the untitled human-au cop-thingy.

Lilith Sedai's Elements series (fics at Master Apprentice), Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan.

LadyCat (website, LJ memories), Spike/Xander. I have some favorites, but what they are depends on whatever mood I'm in at the moment.

The Long and Winding Road, The Long and Winding Road II, and Missing Scene: The Long and Winding Road by Kassandra, Mulder/Krycek.

A Week of Wrong and Your Horoscope for Today by Anna S., Spike/Xander.

Loserville by Shrift, Spike/Xander.

Wordsmith, Spike/Xander. In addition to the "Reconstruction," "Restoration," "Reunification" trilogy, I also like "Spike's Boys."

Recoveries by Lianne Burwell, Vic/Mac.

Extraordinarily Resilient by Cori Lannam, Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan.

The Familiar and Transfigurations by Resonant, Harry/Snape and Harry/Draco, respectively.

Work With Me by Anne Higgens, Vic/Mac.

Books

Dancer of the Sixth by Michelle Shirey Crean. One of my absolute favorite romances of all time.

Bellwether by Connie Willis. One of my other absolute favorite romances of all time.

"Spice Pogrom," "Time Out," and "At the Rialto" in Impossible Dreams by Connie Willis. One screwball comedy and two science romances.

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean. Fairy tale retelling.

Deerskin by Robin McKinley. Another fairy tale retelling.

Spindle's End by Robin McKinley. Yet another fairy tale retelling.

Silver Woven in My Hair by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. Yes, it's another fairy tale retelling.

The Complete Ivory by Doris Egan. Not a fairy tale retelling, but nicely romantic. (I actually own each of the books separately; they've now been re-released in one volume.)

Light Raid by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice. Yummy.

Promised Land by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice. A forced marriage on a farm love story.

The Merro Tree by Katie Waitman. Interspecies same-sex romance, which is not really the main point of the story, but which is very romantic.

Sable, Shadow, and Ice by Cheryl J. Franklin. Every time I read this, I feel like I shouldn't like it because it's so cheesy. And yet I love it.

Mel by Liz Berry. Another one that's cheesy, but I love. Alas, I discovered on Saturday that our local library no longer has a copy of either this or Easy Connections, which finally started to creep me out on my last reread.

Quest For a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry. Historical romance for kids.

The Ordinary Princess by M.M. Kaye. A good new-school fairy tale.

Mara: Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. Teen romance set in Ancient Egypt.

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith. Weak battle scenes, but a nice romance.

Movies

She's All That. My love for Freddie Prinze Jr. movies is well documented.

10 Things I Hate About You. Mmm, Shakespeare retelling.

Love Actually. Romantic movie with romantic music.

The Princess Bride. Everyone's favorite new-school fairy tale.

King Arthur. I love this, and one of the things I love is the way the romance is so toned down.

IQ. Einstein's niece and a mechanic in love.

Bringing Up Baby. Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant speaking very fast.

Comics

"Dramatic Spring," From Eroica With Love story. What I find so romantic about this is the last page where we see Klaus trusting Dorian to watch over him as he sleeps.

Daisy Kutter: The Last Train. Excellent, excellent western.

Uncanny X-Men 318. The arc that ended with this issue is what made me want some Bobby/Emma.

TV

"Thespis" and "April is the Cruelest Month," Sports Night. Two very romantic Casey/Dan episodes.

Wonderfalls. Mmm. A great story premise with a very nice romance.

Keen Eddie. Fabulous romance in the midst of a cop show.

The O.C. Ryan and Marissa are everything I could possibly want in a teen TV couple.

Part 2

"So this is where you go to school." A tall, blond boy in Muggle clothing swung away from the wall and fell into step with Potter.

Draco watched Potter stop in his tracks and listened in on the conversations around him.

"What are you doing here?" Potter asked.

"Cor. It's Wills," someone breathed.

"Who?" a second voice asked.

"I came to see the school," the boy--Wills, apparently--said, waving his hand at the hallway. "This will be part of my country."

"Prince William," the first voice said, and it clicked. Prince William. And someone had told Potter too much and that the people think of him as Merlin.

"Have you considered my offer?" William asked Potter.

That must mean His Royal Highness thought he was going to be Arthur. Well, they'd just see about that.

"I don't believe we've been introduced," Draco said, smoothly moving to Harry's side. "Draco Malfoy."

"William," the Prince answered. His eyes coolly assessed Draco. "My advisors didn't mention you."

Draco gave William his best superior smile. "And Harry didn't mention you," he lied glibly. He took Harry's arm. "We'll be late for class." He swept them away from William and down the hall.

"The heir to the throne," he said to Harry when they were out of earshot. "He wants to be Arthur, and he wants you to help him."

"Yes," Harry said, sounding strangled, and then he bolted and disappeared into one of the washrooms.

Draco bemusedly followed him in and heard the sound of retching coming from one of the stalls. He ran water over a towel and had it ready when Harry came out.

Harry silently accepted it and leaned heavily on the sink while he wiped his face.

"What was his offer?"

Harry paled even farther. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Did he offer to share his power?"

Harry laughed, a sound like broken glass. He held up one hand and a flame danced in his palm. He closed his fist around it. When he opened his hand again, the flame was gone as if it had never been. "I don't need his power."

"Oh, no," Draco sneered. "Not the famous Harry Potter."

"Sod off, Malfoy," Potter said, or tried to say, rather, as he dissolved into coughing on the last word.

Draco's sneer became a scowl. "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't--" Harry took a step back and gripped the edge of the sink. "I don't--"

"Potter, you're white as a ghost." Draco stepped forward and took Harry's arm.

"I don't feel very good," Harry said.

"That's obvious," Draco muttered. "Let's get you to Pomfrey." The halls were empty and they managed to get to the Hospital Wing without anyone seeing them. Harry clung to Draco's arm so tightly that Pomfrey insisted on curing his bruises.

"Tsk," she said when they first came in. "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't feel well," Harry told her.

"He threw up earlier," Draco reported.

"We'll have you fixed right up in just a moment." Pomfrey looked sternly at Harry. "You were in the rain just last week, weren't you?" She didn't wait for an answer. "No wonder you're ill." She bustled around and came up with a potion and a bar of chocolate for Harry, and a sip of another potion and a small square of chocolate for Draco's bruises.

"Now, Potter, you be sure to rest this afternoon. No Quidditch and none of that mischief-making today! You'll only make yourself sick again." Madam Pomfrey waved at them. "Go on, get out of my Hospital Wing. And I don't want to see you back here anytime soon," she admonished sternly.

"Come on," Draco said once they were in the hallway, and he steered Harry toward a staircase.

"We have class," Harry protested.

"You heard Pomfrey. You're supposed to rest." Draco directed Harry up the stairs.

"I don't think this is what she meant." Despite his words, Harry followed Draco's lead to the Pink Lady guarding Gryffindor.

"Well?" Draco demanded when they were in the common room.

"Well what?"

"Take me up the stairs to your dorm," Draco said patiently.

Harry led the way up another set of stairs and into his dormitory. Draco surveyed the room.

"Do you have any chocolate?"

"I think so." Harry rummaged through his trunk and pulled out a chocolate bar. "Yes, yes, I do."

Draco took it from him and broke off a small piece for himself before giving the remainder of the bar back to Harry. "Eat that."

Harry bit into the chocolate and sat down on his bed where he watched Draco prowl around the room.

"Don't you have anything to read in this place?"

Harry gestured at the assortment of items on his nightstand. "There might be a book in there."

Draco, upon rifling through Harry's things, came up with only an old copy of the Daily Prophet and Harry's copy of The Standard Book of Spells.

"I've been looking for that," Harry said, plucking the latter out of Draco's hands.

Draco pushed at Harry's shoulders. "Lie down, Potter. You're supposed to be resting."

"When did you turn into my nanny?" Harry muttered, but he lay back on the bed.

Draco idly flipped through the old copy of the Daily Prophet, but the news was horribly out of date and he'd already read most of the features. He pulled his feet up under himself and looked down at Harry.

"If you don't need his power," he asked, "what was his offer?"

"He wants me to help him become the next Arthur."

"Yes," Draco said patiently, "I understand that. What did he offer you in return?"

Harry shrugged as best he could while lying down. "He said I could help him become Arthur. He said," Harry said with half a chuckle, "that I had 'fetching green eyes.'"

"That arrogant prat," Draco said, and was completely mystified when Harry started to laugh.

"Oh, Malfoy," Harry said when he stopped, "thank you. I feel much better now." He broke the remainder of his chocolate bar in half and gave one of the pieces to Draco.

Title: Bathus
Author: Ruth Sadelle Alderson
Pairing: Harry/Draco
Rating: FRAO
Series: First in the Kratos trilogy.
Disclaimer: They're not mine. I'm not making any money off of this.
Summary: What if Harry had accepted Draco's opening offer?
Warning: BDSM.


( Bathus )

Part 1

Draco came through the door, but stopped when he saw that Harry was already in the small tower room. He saw the briefest flashes of contentment and consternation that flew across Harry's face before they were hidden behind an impassive mask.

"Look, Potter," he said quickly, before Harry could speak, "how about a truce? Just for now."

Harry eyed him suspiciously, but seemed to realize he was serious. "Truce," he agreed. "For now." He settled back against the windowsill and returned to his contemplation of the view.

Draco sat down against a wall and pulled out the book he'd brought with him. They coexisted in peaceful silence until just before sunset when Harry sighed deeply and stood. His movement startled Draco out of his book.

"You're leaving already?"

Harry looked at him oddly. "It's nearly suppertime."

"But you'll miss the best part." Draco seemed truly distressed.

"I have to eat," Harry pointed out reasonably.

Draco considered the truth of this, then drew out of his robes an apple, two Chocolate Frogs, and a pumpkin pastry. "I'll share." He looked up at Harry's astonishment. "You can't miss the sunset," he explained.

"You haven't hexed it?" Harry asked suspiciously.

Draco shook his head. "I haven't." When Harry continued to look doubtful, he solemnly added, "I swear on my honor as a Malfoy."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

Draco closed his book and set it carefully on the ground beside him. He stood and brought the food with him to the windowsill. "This way we can watch while we eat," he explained. He easily broke the pastry in half and handed that and one of the Chocolate Frogs to Harry. He frowned at the apple.

Harry pointed his wand at it and said, "Medi." It split neatly in half. "Hermione knows all kinds of useful spells," he explained.

"I suppose she does," Draco admitted. He bit into his half of the apple. "Look," he said, tipping his chin out the window.

"It's beautiful," Harry breathed, his half of the pastry forgotten halfway to his mouth.

"I know," Draco said smugly. "That's why I always come here."

Harry looked uncomfortable. "I didn't mean to intrude. It's just that--"

"You wanted to be alone for a while," Draco finished. "It's okay. I don't mind."

Harry walked up to him and shoved him back against the tree. Harry's lips clamped over his and Harry's body pressed him back against the rough bark. The pressure of Harry's kiss heated his blood.

As Harry pushed him down to his knees, the bark pushed his shirt up and scraped the skin of his lower back. Harry forced his mouth open and shoved his cock down his throat.

"Oh, yes. Take it, Draco," Harry murmured.

It was all he could do to keep his teeth from scraping against Harry's cock. He swallowed quickly to avoid choking as Harry's seed flooded his throat. The pleasure of being used so thoroughly was enough to trigger his own orgasm.

Harry slid down to sit on the ground in front of him. They watched each other in silence for a while.

"It's starting to wear off," "Harry" said. He reached out and traced Harry's scar.

"Yes." Harry fingered Ron's hair as it turned from his own familiar black into Weasley red. He glanced up from under his eyelashes and saw that his hair had returned from pale blond to its usual black. He leaned forward and kissed Ron gently. "Did that help?"

"Yes." Ron kissed him back, running his hands around Harry's body and under his shirt. He could feel the abrasions the bark had etched into Harry's skin. "I'll heal those in a minute," he said against Harry's lips.

Harry shook his head. "Don't. I want to remember."

Ron took him back to their dormitory, climbed into Harry's bed, and was very, very gentle with him.