So you’ve read Manacled because of TikTok, it changed your life, and now you’re ready to dive down the Dramione rabbit hole but you have no idea where to start. Well, I am here to help. Here is your introductory guide to all things Dramione- from tropes to categories to backstories, I have got you covered!

Just Some Things to Know

Fanfic Etiquette

Believe it or not, there are norms in the fanfic community! While I cannot speak in depth about this, I do know the basics. First of all, understand that fanfiction is free! That is the only way that fanfic is allowed to exist without violating copyright laws. This means that you should not be buying bound versions on Etsy or any other site. Most fanfiction authors with popular fics allow self-bound copies but expressly forbid the sale of them. Even if the author has had nothing to do with the binding, they can still get in legal trouble. Also, considering fics are not edited and published like regular books, many authors are not looking for reviews and ask that their work not be put on sites like Goodreads. To sum it up, it is important to remember what fanfiction is (a free medium of creativity that helps us expand on our favorite stories) and what it isn’t (a published book up for purchase and review). 

Tags

Next, you are going to find everything you need in the tags. Fanfic rule #1- MIND THE TAGS! They are going to tell you what universe, what relationships, what categories, what tropes, but they are also going to warn you about potential triggers and difficult topics within each fic. Fanfic allows writers and readers to encounter and work through things published works don’t allow for, which is great but you have to be careful! WARNING: The tag “dead dove do not eat” means the fic is super dark or deals with very difficult topics and you should proceed with caution. A WIP is a “Work in Progress” meaning the author is still writing fic so not all the chapters are posted. Some of my favorite fics are WIPs and they are amazing, but waiting months for chapters to be posted can get sad, so be careful!

Universal Qualities

Most of your long form Dramione fics are going to be slow burns. This is honestly what draws many people. The work that these two have to do to see past their pasts makes the moment they get together just so satisfying. This also means there is FANTASTIC banter! Other than this and the fact that they are about Draco and Hermione getting together eventually, they are all very different!

Categories

There are many different types of Dramione fics and they mostly have to do with what sort of situation our characters are in. Many fics fall into more than one of these categories. Here are some of the big ones!

Eighth Year

Eighth Year fics cover a huge portion of Dramione fics. In them, students can either choose to or are required to return to Hogwarts to complete their education. They can get pretty dark because the situation puts a large group of traumatized and unhealed 18 year olds in an isolated environment, you can imagine the kind of blow ups and breakdowns that occur. In most eighth year fics Hermione chooses to go back while Harry and Ron go straight into Auror training. This puts Hermione in a pretty lonely situation, but also one that allows for her to get to know Draco without Ron getting in the way every 5 seconds. 

Some subsections of Eighth Year fics are Draco and Hermione as Head Boy and Head Girl, often sharing a dorm, and also resorting (a favorite of mine)!

My Rec: The Eagle’s Nest by HeartOfAspen- This is an Eighth Year Fic where both Draco and Hermione get resorted into Ravenclaw.

Dark AU (Voldemort Wins)

This has got to be one of the most popular categories of Dramione fics. If you are here because you read Manacled, then you have already jumped head first into the abyss here. Dark AU fics are generally set in a world where Voldemort wins. Draco is often high up in his regime and Hermione is often captured/held prisoner. This plays out in various ways, but most have very intense enemies to lovers themes and get into some gut wrenching emotions. My best advice in this area would be to read the tags! Those are going to let you know if it will be too dark for you, so please proceed with caution. Having said that, these are some of my favorite Dramione fics and my favorite Dracos (very “you touch her and you die”). 

My Rec: The Auction by lovesbitica8- This is inspired by Manacled so if you liked it, this is for you.

Kid Fics

This may or may not be my favorite category of Dramione fanfiction. On this side of the internet either Draco or Hermione has a child. Sometimes this is a child of Hermione’s where Draco is the father and does not know it, or sometimes the child is Draco’s from a previous marriage. In all of the kid fics, the parental sides of Draco and Hermione drive the plots, and lots of overprotective but MILF/DILF energy is present. The kid in question is usually Scorpius Malfoy, who is adorable in every story. 

My Rec: Measure of a Man by Inadaze22- This fic is long but so so worth it. In it, Healer Hermione is hired to work with Narcissa Malfoy who is losing her memories and builds a relationship with Scorpius Malfoy, and later his father.

Others

In addition to some of these larger categories, there are other pockets of the Dramione world that are certainly worth mentioning. 

A/B/O

The Alpha/Beta/Omega fics, or omegaverse fics, extend far beyond the realm of Dramione but this ship definitely has more than a few. While difficult to explain without just diving into one, they are kind of like those old werewolf wattpad books we used to read in middle school. But honestly, it is better to just learn as you go.

My Rec: All You Want by senlinyu- This fic is a great intro to A/B/O because in the story, Hermione is also learning about designation for the first time so many things are explained. Also- this is the incredible author of Manacled!

Memory Loss

Another smaller but fantastic section of fics is memory loss stories. In these, there is often already an established relationship between Draco and Hermione, but one of them loses their memories of their entire relationship somehow. They have to make their spouse fall in love with them all over again. 

My Rec: Wait and Hope by mightbewriting- It’s The Vow but with Dramione!

Marriage Law

Ok, now this is a good category of Dramione fics here. It is my understanding that this is pretty unique to the Harry Potter fanfic world, but I could be wrong. In these fics, the Ministry of Magic has noticed a jarring decline of magical births since the second wizarding war and implements a mandatory marriage law in an effort to save the population. Draco and Hermione get paired together, ensuing various scenarios but usually just one outcome. 

My Rec: Ten out of Ten by morriganmercy- Short but AMAZING fic about Draco and Hermione’s plan to get comfortable with each other before their looming deadline.

Friends and Foes

There is a varying cast of characters in these fics and they are all worth a little bit of backstory in this post.

Friends

Draco’s friends are often affectionately called “The Snake Pit” and that group generally consists of Theo Nott, Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. Theo is a tall and very cheeky brown haired boy who is often gay and an incredibly good friend to both Draco and Hermione (so good that sometimes they are a throuple). Theo has an abusive Death Eater father whom he usually wants to distance himself from thoroughly. In many fics, Theo and Harry end up together but almost as often Theo and Pansy or Theo and Luna are a pair.  Blaise has an Italian mom who is rumored to have killed several of her husbands and owns vineyards. He is usually characterized as womanizing and suave, and I love when he gets paired with Ginny. Pansy can be a friend or a foe in these fics, but when she is a friend, she is a fantastic one, especially to Hermione who does not have a ton of female friends. She often has tension with her parents and is a fashion designer of some sort in many stories. 

As for Hermione’s friends, we are more familiar with them. Harry is characterized as a brotherly figure to Hermione and is generally her biggest supporter. Ginny is also a fiery, fierce friend to our bookworm. Ron however, is usually not awesome. I do in fact support Ron bashing because he has often either cheated on Hermione in these fics or has ignored her until they break up. And if they had an amicable break up, he usually freaks out about Draco and Hermione together. 

I would be remiss not to mention Astoria Greengrass. In Dramione fics, Astoria is either an ex-wife or ex-girlfriend or dead wife of Draco’s. Sometimes she is just the girl 

Foes

In addition to some good friends, Dramione fics have some common foes as well. Sometimes the foe is just the ministry because they suck. Other times, Antonin Dolohov often has a target on Hermione’s back after the events in Order of the Phoenix. Most often, if the fic has a villain personally targeting Hermione, it is Fenrir Greyback. In them, he has survived the Battle of Hogwarts and somehow singles her out as a mark. Either because of her Werewolf legislation work or her actions during the battle. 

Unfortunately, Draco and Hermione are often their own worst enemies in fanfics but that’s why we love them. I would encourage you to read all the types of Dramione fics and find out which you like best! Dive into authors you like, explore new tropes and get all giddy like I do at every Granger”!