Call me crazy, but I am obsessed with Dramione fan fiction now. This series as a whole has me hooked!
Format: Fan Fiction/E-Book
Genre: Fantasy/Romance
Page Length: 724 pages
Publisher: Archive of Our Own (January 5, 2019)
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mr. Darcy‘s Rating: “You have bewitched me, body and soul.”
A Chasing Mr. Darcy Review
I was a little hesitant to read this book because my sister told me it was dark, and I also wasn't sure what to expect. Yes, this book is dark and contains many trigger warnings (see bottom of review for TWs), it is so good. You should always, of course, be mindful of your own mental health before reading a book, so please review those trigger warnings if you have sensitivities or are unsure about reading.
Here’s a summary in my own words: The Auction takes place in an alternate universe in which Harry Potter was killed by Voldemort, and all the "good guys" are auctioned off to Death Eaters. The women are auctioned off basically as sex slaves, and the men are auctioned off to be tortured, essentially. Hermione is the grand prize of the auction, being both a virgin and the golden girl. She finds unexpected sanctuary with the Malfoy family, and together, they scheme to defeat the Dark Lord. Along the way, the feelings between Draco and Hermione, long simmering, come to bubbling to the surface.
Holy crap Batman, I don't even know where to begin with this book. I loved it so freaking much. I'll be honest; it is a lot to take and I had to read it at a much slower pace than the first two books in this "series." The tone is dark and menacing, and there are many times in which cruelty is utilized for the sake of survival, both for Draco's own survival and for Hermione's survival. The brutality of the book, at times, brings to light just how downplayed the evilness of the death eaters was portrayed in the original Harry Potter books. In today's world, these characters would be written as savagely as they are written in this story, and I'm here for every page of it!
First off, Narcissa Malfoy is my queen, and Lucius Malfoy is my king. I will fight you on this after reading this book. I completely adored Narcissa after the first two books, but the Narcissa in this story had a spine of steel and a determination to see her family safe that was not matched in the first two stories. She is the queen, a goddess, and she recognizes the love her son has for Hermione as the same as the love she has for Lucius. When Lucius walked in on Hermione and Draco fooling around, and said, "Oh dear. That chaise is from the 16th century," I could just picture him examining his nails with a look of disdain on his face. Despite all his bravado at not liking Hermione, he went above and beyond to ensure not only her safety but the safety of his family should either the Dark Lord fall or he die. This is the Lucius the original HP series deserved, and this is the Malfoy family JKR should have given us. Lucius' actions at the end of the book are truly those of a father, and my heart just broke for the Malfoy family.
Second, Draco...be still my beating heart for Draco. Such a tortured soul. He pines for Hermione yet believes he can't have her, and he struggles through his role as a Death Eater until he realizes there has to be something better. The scene where he agrees to help Hermione break the tattoo charm and defeat Voldemort broke my heart when he looked up at her and said, "There has to be something better than this." Poor Draco, a victim of circumstances and of course, his own bad choices, but circumstances more than anything else. When he saves Hermione from Bellatrix, I wanted to jump up and clap, and when he said, "I'm only sorry it took me more than three seconds to decide," I wanted to hug him. More than all this, though, I love the way Draco is written in this story. Again, this is the Draco we deserved in the HP books with a redemption arc to put all other redemption arcs to shame. I mean, the boy kills a horcrux for Hermione. What more can we ask for??? The scene where Narcissa and Lucius perform the ritual to remove Hermione's virginity because Draco would rather use dark magic than force Hermione to do something she doesn't want to was eerily beautiful. His dedication to Hermione was astounding in this story, and I just wish JKR had done this character justice in her original series.
Third, the steam. Mother trucker, the steam in this book rivals that of the steam in the other two stories, and I thought that was hard to beat. There is much more pining and longing in this book, much more, to be frank, dry humping with a bit of happy endings tossed in (I couldn't help myself), and much more sticky, sweet, steam between the two characters. They live in a bubble of Malfoy Manor for much of the book, and the chemistry between them develops so naturally. I love the moment Hermione realizes Draco has an attraction to her at all (IYKYK), and I laughed out loud at some of their shenanigans before they got down to more serious business. It develops slowly, albeit they both have feelings for the other from the beginning. Their physical connection is built in layers, though, as Hermione becomes increasingly more comfortable with the feelings she has for Draco. I also enjoyed their scenes at Edinburgh, although they were at times hard to read as well. (see triggers). I almost combusted during some of the scenes between Draco and Hermione, particularly the last love scene between them and the scene in the potions lab. Those certainly were not part of the original HP. :)
Fourth, the connection between Draco and Hermione is astounding. Draco is Hermione's equal in intelligence and nerve, and she finally has an equal partner in her schemes. Draco and Hermione can actually dream up schemes that work, whereas the schemes the Golden trio dreamed up never paid off (especially in this universe). There's one part in the book where Hermione realizes that with Harry and Ron, she was always the one they counted on...when she is out on an escapade with Draco, though, to escape the attack on the castle, she realizes she can actually depend on him as they work together to escape. That is a new feeling for her, and it just further reiterates that Draco is created as her equal in this story. And, Hermione deserves as equal as a partner. I also love that the love between Draco and Hermione pushes them to their limits. I don't want to spoil what those limits are, but I'm sure you can guess.
My only complaints about this book are 1) too much about the stupid Weasleys, and 2) I'm tired of Ginny getting prime roles when she is one of the worst characters in the HP universe. Blaise and Pansy are so much better than Ginny.
Again, I can't reiterate enough how much I enjoyed not only The Auction but also the first two books in the series. LovesBitca8 is a talented writer, and she captured the essence of these characters that I know and love. I'm so grateful that she gave me an outlet for my Harry Potter love that does not involve giving money to JKR.
Please read these fan fictions/books, and please love them as much as I do!
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