Just Another Book About Harry Potter Ships

Drarry (Draco/Harry)

PLEASE NOTE: I used to link different fanartists' fanart at the top of these chapters to give an example of fan activities surrounding the ship, but since I have been asked by at least one of these fanartists to not use their work and I would like to avoid that issue in the future, I have removed all fanart from these chapters. Sorry! 

SHIP NAMES: Drarry, Harco, Darry, Draco/Harry, H/D, HP/DM, S.S. Guns 'n' Handcuffs

THOUGHTS: OMG YES! Drarry is my OTP!

Before I get into my reasons for shipping Drarry, as a sort of caveat, I do want to say that I usually ship it in post-war or otherwise adult contexts where character development and eventual reconciliation are more plausible. Anything else tends to feel OOC (unless dealt with by a VERY talented writer), given how much of a major asshole Draco is in the books. However, I do have some exceptions to this "post-war fics only" rule, including a.) AUs where Draco took Dumbledore up on his offer to protect him and Narcissa at the end of book six; b.) AUs where Draco defects from the Death Eaters sometime in book seven; c.) other types of AUs that give Draco a redemption arc while also acknowledging how fucked up his canonical behavior is; or d.) fics where Draco struggles with (maybe-not-so-unrequited) feelings for Harry while they're at Hogwarts and is mad and confused about it. But by and large, I read mostly post-war fics (including "eighth year" fics) where they're both adults and more mature. Those are my jam!

Okay, so, with that out of the way, allow me to explain why I love Drarry so much (especially for those of you who dislike Drarry or just don't understand why somebody would ship it):

1.) While Harry and Draco are arguably very different people, their differences balance each other out. Harry is brave and self-sacrificing, yes, but he tends towards complete recklessness and self-destruction if he's not careful, which he very rarely is. Meanwhile, Draco has a lot more self-preservation, but to a cowardly degree. Together, they can smooth over each other's worst impulses while learning from their best: Harry can help Draco become less overly cautious and flighty, while Draco would be the much-needed voice of reason when Harry's bravery becomes reckless and stupid. Draco knows how to use and bend the rules to his advantage, while Harry knows when to break them. Harry is powerful, while Draco is cunning. Harry knows the Muggle world like the back of his hand, while Draco knows the wizarding world just as well. They even excel at different things: Harry is good at Quidditch and Defense Against The Dark Arts, and Draco excels at Occlumency and Potions. These complementary differences mean that they can help each other learn, grow, and mature, both as people and as wizards.

2.) Despite their differences, they are surprisingly similar. For example, they are both loyal to the people they love, especially family and close friends. They're both stubborn, snarky, and clever. They're both Seekers for their respective Hogwarts houses, and they're both skilled wizards in their own right. I could keep going, but you get the picture!

3.) They have something big in common: they both had their fates decided for them before they could even walk. For Harry, his life was dictated by a prophecy that he knew nothing about, as well as the whims of the adults around him. For Draco, his father was a Death Eater, and his parents raised him as a pure-blood supremacist. This isn't an excuse for his behavior (and he still needs to take responsibility for his actions!), but it makes sense why he grew up the way he did. (For those of you who might point to Sirius Black and say, "But he—" I say to you: Sirius grew up in an abusive and dysfunctional household, while all the evidence points to Draco's upbringing being extremely loving and spoiled. That makes all the difference. But even if you were to ignore their differing family dynamics, they're still two different people with two very different life experiences, so I stand by Draco's upbringing being a huge factor in his behavior, even though, again, this is NOT an excuse for being a bully or a bigot, and he will need to own up and make amends for his behavior going forward if he has any hope to be a better person.) At the end of the day, Harry and Draco were both just boys caught up in the harsh realities of war, given roles to fill with very little say in the matter. Again, not an excuse, but it is a reason.