Compiled by the Espresso Addict

Espresso Recommendations

Innovative and stylish fanfiction, showcasing the very best across multiple sf, fantasy & literature fandoms. Good writing in all its forms can be found here, including gen, het, slash, OCs, AUs, crossovers, future fics, humour & pastiche

Contents: 1010 recs in 235 fandoms; 65 links

Harry Potter

Draco Malfoy

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The Cactus Where Your Heart Should Be by Jane St Clair

Draco copes with the absence of his father; Crabbe & Goyle cope with the absence of Draco. Precise characterisations that don't stray too far from canon, but it's the details that really make this short piece

[Added 13/02/2006; Romance/Erotica; 1000-2500; Harry Potter; Characters: Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Draco Malfoy, Narcissa Malfoy; Adult]

The Death of a Soul, A Blowjob Beneath a Table, and the Rain of Toads That Followed by Phaballa

'As reported by the Southampton Soothsayer in March of 1879, the account of the kidnapping of one Alexandra Glass, age eight, daughter to the famous Astrologist Augustus Glass, who invented the Glass-Hayburn arithmantical equation used to calculate the aural patterns of stars.' A hilarious post-war happily-ever-after romp, with asides on coincidence and fate

[Added 12/12/2006; Humour; 6000-20,000; Harry Potter; Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin]

Lamp in the Cooling Room by Sansa

'She only wanted some flowers. He has an entire garden of them, after all. Full, bright blooms with stalks so thick they braid together in places.' An unusual take on more than one old trope, with a creepy child narrator, lovely symbolic weather & an ending that's just perfect. Deservedly a Harry/Draco classic, but so much more than that

[Added 13/02/2011; Drama; 6000-20,000; Harry Potter; Characters: Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, OC]

The Loathly Worm by Selden

'The blowjob in question took place back in the Death Eater headquarters, an ancient castle which grew, like a black and broken tooth, out of a bleak promontory on a particularly wind-bitten stretch of Scottish coast.' An atmospheric & magically inventive novelette, with Selden's usual amazing descriptive prose plus just enough plot to support the H/D romance

[Added 25/01/2019; Romance/Erotica; 6000-20,000; Harry Potter; Characters: Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Kingsley Shacklebolt, OCs]

Lust over Pendle by AJ Hall

'Various far-fetched theories were spun as to what exactly had happened the night Draco Malfoy went out to murder Hermione Granger, and returned some hours later, to tell his father that, actually, he thought becoming a Death Eater was a rotten idea, and he'd rather be excused.' Deservedly a fandom classic: AJ Hall has had a ball with Rowling's universe. The characters are developed far beyond the two-dimensional ciphers of canon (the author's vision of Narcissa Malfoy is particularly memorable). Although the pacing occasionally flags, the light humorous tone works well and the Bond-style finale is a romp. The sequel, Dissipation and Despair, is also recommended

[Added 09/07/2008; Drama; >50,000; Harry Potter; Characters: Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom, Narcissa Malfoy, Mrs Longbottom, Dudley Dursley, Vernon Dursley, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Severus Snape, Rita Skeeter, Pansy Parkinson, Colin Creevey, OCs]

Picture Perfect by Selden

'He and Potter had had to clear the room by levitating out rack upon rack of cheap port, only to spend almost an entire day dealing with the enormous wheel of cheese that had once been a diplomatic gift from the Dutch wizarding community but which had, by the time they unearthed it, become a kind of Doxy village, practically ready to claim municipal status.' This plotty casefic novella, with a side of H/D, marries Selden's usual lush descriptive prose with excellent worldbuilding & fascinating thoughts on the ramifications of portrait magic. Highly recommended

[Added 26/10/2017; Drama; 20,000-50,000; Harry Potter; Characters: Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Teddy Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy, Andromeda Tonks, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, OCs]

Still Life by Amalin

'When you're dead and one-dimensional, Harry has found, it is easier to walk away from things. Even if you're walking sideways.' Clever concept and elegant execution

[Added 02/12/2005; Drama; 2500-6000; Harry Potter; Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy]

Unseen by Astolat

'He kept it with him all the time, after that, and started wearing it more often than not—he'd forget he had it on, and if he was doing a shift at one of the desks, people would come by and then go away again without asking him to do anything and he'd belatedly realize they hadn't been able to see him.' Strong worldbuilding & superb characterisation of a traumatised post-War Harry who handles celebrity abysmally. The story suffers a bit from St Draco syndrome but don't let that put you off

[Added 25/10/2017; Drama; 6000-20,000; Harry Potter; Characters: Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, OCs]