thebiglittlelibrary's reviews
623 reviews

3.5 ⭐ An incredibly written, long 8th Year Hogwarts Dramione fanfic filled with humor, mystery, fluff, and some angst.

Words: 271,830 | Chapters: 81


Hermione tore her mouth from his. “I don’t want a fresh start,” she gasped. “We’ll never be those people. I want the darkness.”

“Then you’ve come to the right place.”



Summary:

After the war, Hermione Granger returns to Hogwarts with two goals in mind: finish her education and sit for her NEWTs. She isn't interested in reliving her Hogwarts days, being responsible for others, or keeping up with her prim bookworm persona. Instead, she wants to focus on herself and do as she pleases, and if anyone stands in her way, there will be hell to pay.

Hermione’s hopes for a quiet school year are quickly dashed as she contends with mischievous First Years, killer plants, enchanted hair accessories, a totally inappropriate Moaning Myrtle, renegade Death Eaters, a nice vampire, a poorly named study group (PORN), a depraved party, and mysterious, threatening blood messages on the castle walls.

Also returning is Draco Malfoy, universally hated but determined to restore his family’s name. Hermione doubts he's reformed but is forced to tolerate his presence thanks to the multiple classes they share and their partnership in potions. As they work together, Hermione can't help but notice Draco has changed, even if he still is a snarky (and attractive) git.


Post War | 8th Year Hogwarts | Reformed Draco | Reckless Hermione | Extremely Slow Burn | Mystery ‘who-dun-it’


My Thoughts:


This is a really well-written fanfic. The story is so intricate and detailed that I'm impressed with the author. They must have done so much research and planning to make everything come together so flawlessly. So to ThebeMoon, I say well done!


The world-building is phenomenal! If you want a story that takes you back to Hogwarts and only expands on the school and magic system, this is it! I am impressed by the number of details regarding potions, herbology, divination, magical artifacts, and spells/curses. This fanfic does an incredible job expanding on JK Rowling's Harry Potter universe.


I love Hermione's 'I don't give a fuck' attitude. In the original series, Hermione always tries to do the right things, whether that means being a teacher pet, studying non-stop, and protecting Harry and Ron. But this year, Hermione has had enough and is putting herself first for once. While I don't think this version of Hermione is canon, it was refreshing nevertheless.


I love the snarky yet soft Draco. This reformed bad boy was a delight to read about, especially whenever he and Hermione interacted because their banter was just *chef's kiss*. His journey to prove himself a reformed man, not only to Hermione but the world, is touching and entertaining. I only wished we saw more scenes where he was vulnerable and Hermione was empathetic. There were scenes like this, but there needed to be more to really understand his struggles and transformation.


This story is soooooo long. This is the first fanfic I've read where at least 5 subplots happen simultaneously. These side stories added some fluff, humor, or angst in their own way, and they all come together seamlessly in the end (again, the writing is great). However, there's just so much going on that they get jumbled together, and it's easy to forget what happened. I would have enjoyed this fanfic more if it was 200 pages shorter. For reference, it's 660 pages downloaded as a PDF off ao3.


WARNING: This is a slowwwwwww burn. Draco and Hermione don't even get together till halfway through, and that's just something I don't like. It's just such a long fic, so to have to read about Hermione's romantic drama with two other guys before Draco . . . I found it aggravating. I understand why these romantic subplots were there, but in the end, it felt unnecessary.


I wanted more from the romance scenes. I love good smut and this story has soooo much potential for it. There are a few heated moments, but it's not very detailed. The scenes are set up, but the actual sexual acts are glossed over.


Hermione becoming THE girl all the boys want to date or shag was pretty unrealistic. Okay, one or two boys are interested. Sure, that makes sense. But literally, EVERY SINGLE BOY in the entire school? Is she part Veela? That's how obsessed every guy seemed to be. This isn't a bad thing. It just made this part of the story unbelievable.


What was up with all the slut-shaming? I'm not a fan of it, but truthfully, this happens a lot IRL. While it's not okay, it's realistic. But still, it got to be a bit much.


Hermione's back-and-forth behavior towards Draco made me want to pull my hair out. She gave me 'only I can be mean to him' vibes. From the beginning, she's super protective of and defends Draco, telling people to give him a second chance. But in reality, she's a b*tch to him and expects the worst of him. It didn't quite make sense to me.


Loved Pansy and Neville! My only complaint is that we didn't get more of them! In fact, I'd love a short story of these two that takes place at the same time as The Gloriana Set.



Overall, I didn't fall in love with the characters or story, hence my lower rating, but I acknowledge this is a solid fanfic. Definitely written like a 5-star fanfic. If you like slow-burn, mystery, and Hogwarts shenanigans, I think you'll love it!




My Current Dramione Fanfic Rankings

⭐ = Must-Reads