Under the Willow Tree | Draco Malfoy

thank you + q&a

Hi! Thank you for reading through my third Harry Potter fanfic and 11th novel overall!! I hope you enjoyed it. ☺️

This one took me a bit longer to complete than my others because life has just gotten much more in the way since I started this story. However, I am so incredibly attached to these characters, and I'm glad I got to spend more time with them.

Without further ado, here is my usual q&a, but feel free to ask any questions you have if you don't see me answering it below!

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q: What was going on with the whole Blaise storyline? Would you elaborate on that further?

a: It's easy to become the villain in someone else's life when we act out of hurt. We may think we are completely justified in how we act because of our pain or betrayal, but we are not the main character in everyone's story, and that will color others' perception of us.

In this story, Blaise appears villainous at first because of the perspective we have of the story. From Draco's POV, we see that Blaise was a hurt child who overreacted, blaming Draco for something that wasn't his fault. This led to him trying to sabotage and hurt Draco in return, ultimately leading to their bitter rivalry and their constant desire to bring the other down.

So, in Draco's life, Blaise is a villain, but in Blaise's life, Draco is a villain. Perspective is everything, and neither boy should have continued their competition to make the other more miserable. Neither of them could ever win that.

q: I hated Enzo! Why did you include that storyline?

a: I felt it was important to show readers that just because we like someone — just because they are attractive and charming and sweet to us — that doesn't mean our feelings are invalidated if they hurt us. You can like someone romantically, but still not want them to kiss you yet. You are allowed to take your time and move through a relationship at the pace that makes you comfortable, and anyone who tries to rush you or manipulate you into going faster isn't worth one moment of your time. They are the ones who should feel guilty and horrible, not you.

[And then I made him a villain. 😂]

q: What is happening with this cliffhanger? Are you trying to kill me?

a: I am not trying to kill you, but Lorelei and Draco's journey is a long one, so I wanted to split their story into two halves (although book one will likely be longer). The cliffhanger is there to remind you that there is more to come, yet it also wraps up all of the canon timelines. Book 2 will be all about their lives post-war and how they cope with the postwar grief while trying to understand what just happened.

(Plus we still need to learn what Theo was going to say 😉)

I'm sorry to make you all wait, but I hope you can understand this decision and will follow along with the second part of their story soon.

1/25/26, Update: lol, looking back at this, so sorry. Y'all had to wait more than 4 years for me to never write this sequel. I had so much planned for them, but I kind of lost the motivation to do it. When I actually started writing it, their story already felt finished and like I was forcing more drama onto them that shouldn't be there. They deserve peace after all they've been through, not more disorder and pain. I revamped the final chapter and am writing an epilogue now. I know this may not be the most satisfying end for you, but I just want to give you a complete ending. ❤️

q: Draco's father is not abusive in canon. Why did you choose to use this storyline?

a: Of course. In canon, his father is not abusive, but the very nature of his character and his motivations mean that Lucius very easily could have been abusive. He was cowardly and made decisions he knew to be horrible just to save his own skin (and in canon, his family's too). However, this shows how easily he can twist his morals to fit his own needs, and this opens up the question of how far his morals could be twisted if he believed he was helping his family in the long run.