Pairing - Harry/Draco

I'm trying to write a Harry/Draco fic, but after reading the existing FFs here on mugglenet, I'm quite concerned. I'm not sure if I've been writing the characters right, and more so, I can't seem to really 'get' writing from a characters perspective.

Also, this forum is pretty confusing, so if asking for that kind of help here is not the point of the category, I am sorry and I would really appriciate it if you would direct me to the correct thread.

As for my concerns with Harry and Draco, I'm not sure how to write their shyness at first. Draco is snide, and just plain mean, where as Harry is pretty much the opisite, so I'm having a hard time toning Draco down without making his character seem to unrealistic, and writing Harrys somewhat obsessive/depressed nature because of his confusion about his sexuality. And frankly, I'm having a hard time making them realisticly gay. Again, if this isn't the kind of advice I should be asking for please tell me.

I can't edit the first post, but I wanted to add some questions.

1. Draco is confused by Harrys actions, and wants to talk to him without being straight forward about questioning Harrys sexuality. How would he do this?
2. Dracos attitude towards Harry is changing dramaticly, and Harry doesn't know how to accept this. How does Harry react?
3. After quite a few confrontations, neither Harry nor Draco are willing to open up to one another. How will they gain each others trust after 4 years of complete loathing?

Quote:

---

Draco is confused by Harrys actions, and wants to talk to him without being straight forward about questioning Harrys sexuality. How would he do this?

---

He probably wouldn't. Draco is highly unlikely to confront Harry about anything at all, especially if he likes him, because Draco isn't the kind of person to really talk about his emotions. The only scenario I can imagine just like this is Draco blurting out a question very sarcstically and insensetively on impulse ("Bloody hell, Potter, what are you, queer or something?"). Draco is far too proud to seriously ask, and not really sensitive enough to mask the question as something else. The only case in which he would openly ask such a question would be if something was removing his inhibitions; alcohol or a potion with similar effect.

Quote:

---

Dracos attitude towards Harry is changing dramaticly, and Harry doesn't know how to accept this. How does Harry react?

---

That depends. Is his attitude changing for the better or for the worse? Have they become friends in this scenario, and Draco's attitude is going back to what it used to be? In that case Harry would most likely confront Draco about it. If they're not friends, and Draco is suddenly becoming nicer, I'd say Harry would be confused, almost worried. He might wonder what has changed, and he'd feel frustrated because a constant in his life has changed. If you'd like to add some humour, it would be pretty much in character for Harry to confront Draco with genuine concern as to what on earth could have made him act so nice.

Quote:

---

After quite a few confrontations, neither Harry nor Draco are willing to open up to one another. How will they gain each others trust after 4 years of complete loathing?

---

Well, I will assume that this is the main part of your plot, so that's up to you as the author to decide. This question would probably be more at home in Skele-Gro Plot Potion, as it's not necessarily so closely character related; there will always be other factors as well. The only help I can really give you in this matter is that Harry will have to be the one to open up. Draco is an absolute coward; he would never admit his feelings. He's too proud, and nowhere near brave enough to take such a step. But if Harry has genuine feelings for Draco (as I happen to know that he does, in this particular case :rolleyes: ), he might just be able to swallow his pride and muster up the courage to open up and let Draco know how he feels.

Quote:

---

Draco is confused by Harrys actions, and wants to talk to him without being straight forward about questioning Harrys sexuality. How would he do this?

---

I don't think Draco would be too keen on a serious chat with Harry- regardless of if he likes him or not. I agree with MaiaMadness, I think he'd either blurt it out as an insult, or not mention it unless he was under the influence.

He's the kind of person who would investigate Harry, so you might have him following him, and maybe hearing Harry kicking a wall or something, and muttering something like 'Why do i have to like Malfoy!'.

That way, Draco wouldn't be doing something he would be too proud to do.

You could also have Draco following him at first to find out what is up, and then following him because he's infatuated.

Quote:

---

Dracos attitude towards Harry is changing dramaticly, and Harry doesn't know how to accept this. How does Harry react?

---

I think Harry would probably think Draco was up to something. Which book is this set in?

If it's the fourth, he could think Draco's trying to sabotage his chances at the tournement.

If it's the fifth, he could think Draco is trying to find out about the Order, or he's trying to find out where Sirius is.(Seeing as Lucius saw Sirius at the train station.)

If it's the sixth, you've already got the situation set up for you.

But anyway, Harry would probably stress out, and in turn, maybe begin to follow Draco himself. You could write a scene where their both attempting to follow each other, but with Draco not having the Marauder's map, therefore being unable to find Harry, but feeling as though he's being watched. He could even then feel empathetic for Harry when he was following him.

Quote:

---

After quite a few confrontations, neither Harry nor Draco are willing to open up to one another. How will they gain each others trust after 4 years of complete loathing?

---

I don't think they'd ever fully gain eachother's trust. But if they were to, I think that's something you have to figure out for yourself, or as MaiaMadness said, head over to the Skele-Grow section.

This probably wasn't of any help, but, I hope it was.

Good Luck!

I must say before I answer your questions that H/D as a category generally has me rolling on the floor laughing. It's just so hilarious- I love slash, but H/D seems incredibally unrealistic to me. But, some of the most touching slashes I've found have also been H/D. It's a delicate pairing to work with.

Now, with that said, let me commence.

Draco is confused by Harry's actions, and wants to talk to him without being straightforward about questioning Harry's sexuality. How would he do this?

Well, I'd say it really depends on how old they are. I'm going to go on a hunch and have them as fifth or sixth years. I'm also going to assume Draco is gay as well.

So, you could have them both wandering the corridor late at night. Draco would make some rude, nosy comment and soon they're arguing until one of them slips. Or, you could have a sort of reverse-Sectumsempra (the chapter, not the spell) effect, where Draco finds Harry in one of his reflective moods under the tree by the lake or something and asks him what he's thinking about and it leads from there.

What seems most logical, though, is just Draco making a snarky insult and then Harry blushing at the wrong moment and revealing his secret. Like...

Draco wheeled around in the empty hallway, cocking his eyebrow. "What'd you say?"

Harry's eyes narrowed. He cleared his throat. "I said," he said, taking a step towards Draco, "that maybe you would look less like a ferret if you took that smirk off your face sometimes!" He stared intently at the Slytherin boy, who took a step back, laughing but still mad.

"Bloody hell, Potter, what are you, queer or something?" Draco shot. Harry stumbled back, blushing and hanging his head.

Draco paled. "Bloody hell. You are, aren't you?" Harry's head gave the barest of nods.


Aw, now you've got me wanting to write an H/D!

Draco's attitude towards Harry is changing dramaticly, and Harry doesn't know how to accept this. How does Harry react?

Harry's kinda thick, so he might not notice right away, but when he did I think he might wait and observe for a while. Then, he would confront Draco about it in a very straightforward manner ("Yes or no, Draco!"). He might be rather shocked to find out the truth and try to ignore it at first, but then would come to accept it. Hopefully.

After quite a few confrontations, neither Harry nor Draco are willing to open up to one another. How will they gain each other's trust after 4 years of complete loathing?

Nothing brings people together like a few hours spent together late at night, I always say. ;)

Detention works, too. And near-death experiances. Or maybe just a simple talk.

Hope this helps!

-Stubby

haha, this is making me want to write a H/D too.

and it's actually a pairing i don't read either- i tend to stick with MWPP era.

Draco is confused by Harrys actions, and wants to talk to him without being straight forward about questioning Harrys sexuality. How would he do this?

I don't think Draco really likes talking about his emotions. I even think he's scared of them. Because, if you look at the books, Draco's only ever talked about his feelings once or twice. I think Draco would be scared to just come out with the question straight away. But I don't think he's clever and subtle enough to hint at it. I think he'd wait, and get very angry and frustrated.

Draco's attitude towards Harry is changing dramaticly, and Harry doesn't know how to accept this. How does Harry react?

Are they friends at this point, or still enemies?
If they're enemies, Harry would probably try to think that he still hated Draco, and be even more standoffish than usual.
If they're friends, I think Harry would confront him about it. He doesn't strike me as the sort of person who wants secrets and lies between friends. He's honest, and would want to talk to Draco about it.

After quite a few confrontations, neither Harry nor Draco are willing to open up to one another. How will they gain each others trust after 4 years of complete loathing

Go slowly.

This is so important, I'm going to repeat it. Go slowly.

Just let the pairing happen. Let them go their own way, and gradually come together.

Also, give them some breathing space. A lot of authors tend to lock away their two characters they want to get together in a tiny room for five weeks, and not let them out until they snog. For a relatiotionship to develop naturally, you have to have other things moving at the same time. Give them some time away from each other, interacting with other characters. Hermione's often useful to have on the scene, because she often understands completely what's happening to the main character and who they've fallen in love with, but keeps her mouth shut and just watches things unfold, while sipping a cup of tea. (Ok, I made that up, but you know what I mean.)

With Harry/Draco slash and other pairings like that, it is extremely hard to make it seem realistic. I have read tonnes of stories which say that one day Draco wakes up and realizes that he is in love with Harry. There is probably a 0.0000001% chance of this happening in real life.

If you want to make this realistic, delve into what a good relationship is, and what one involves:

-First the two people have to meet, they don't necessarily have to like each other, but it helps.

-Next they get the communication going, and become friends. With a Harry/Draco story this is the major step to take if you want a realistic story. Maybe, Draco is serving Voldemort and he is asked to do something that he just doesn't want to do. Or Harry is captured and although Harry and Draco were enemies, Draco doesn't like the idea of anyone being captured and tortured. These are pretty basic examples, but they are a base line. You can develop the plot. Maybe, after Draco saves Harry's life, Harry feels like he has a life debt to the Slytherin. Therefore, ensuing more contact between the two.

-Next, is where the characters develop feelings for each other. It could be in form of a dream, or maybe they accidentally bump into each other and that releases the emotions. Remember, that not everyone develops feelings for another person at the exact same time someone else does.

-This is where the relationship gets more involved. The characters act upon their feelings. Try and grasp the emotions. Especially in a same sex relationship (but also in different sex) there is a lot of embarrassment. There will also be the burden of keeping the relationship hidden.

I find that Harry/Draco, Harry/Snape and even Draco/Hermione are the most difficult stories to write REALISTICALLY. There are tonnes out there, but not all are believable. That's why I enjoy writing them, it's a great challenge.

Basically all I'm saying is, develop the relationship and don't jump into it. It may take ten chapters for even the most basic emotions to be realised, but believe me, the story will be better for it.

I think I babbled a bit too much there, but I hope I helped! If not I just added an extra post to my post count!

Sorry kiddies! I'm about 22 - 26 thousand words into the story now (haven't added them all up in a while); I should've had the locked and graved a long time ago. For my bennefit that is; I'm sure there are alot of other H/D authors out there that might have some questions.

If not, then go ahead and grave this one. Thanks for all the help, but honestly, it came late :o I've taken alot of it into consideration though, (tis a good thing threads aren't deleted) for the editing process.

Thanks again,
-Arianna

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by A.H.

1. Draco is confused by Harrys actions, and wants to talk to him without being straight forward about questioning Harrys sexuality. How would he do this?
2. Dracos attitude towards Harry is changing dramaticly, and Harry doesn't know how to accept this. How does Harry react?
3. After quite a few confrontations, neither Harry nor Draco are willing to open up to one another. How will they gain each others trust after 4 years of complete loathing?

---

1. I believe it would be more agressive, maybe Malfoy corning him and pointing his wand at him. I believe Draco would ask straight forward, but say it as if he's disgusted. Only letting down his wand when Harry tells him his true feelings. I believe Harry would be brave enough to admit it.

2. Well Harry doesn't know anything other than hate towards Malfoy, but he also is quick to change his mind, ex: DH-Dudley, and HBP he feels for Malfoy being scared for his family. Anyways, I'd see him watching Malfoy with his Maruaders Map, and trying to decide if he can actually trust him, that his feelings are true.

3. I think a moment of great exasperation. A moment of great fear, or happiness can cause people to do surprising things on impulse.

I hope that help, and best of luck with your story. If you have questions, feel free to PM me!

In the building of the relationship with Harry and Draco play to what they have in common. They hate each other. If i was to write a Harry/Draco pairing i would have them meet near the lake around 4pm'ish and they would have the old shouting argument/teasing thing happen, they would get into a muggle duel and after a while they would start feeling really tired and they would just kind of slump to the floor, maybe back to back. They would start cleaning themselves up throwing snide remarks every now and then, and the sun would start setting, they would both go silent then one of them would say something like "Your scar does look pretty cool" or "How do you keep your hair so straight?" and they would go from there, they wouldn't get into a relationship right there and then but it would build foundations.
And now i want to write a Harry/Draco fic.:p

Hope this helps, as this is my first 'trying to be helpful' post, have fun writing your fic.:)