Make Me a Headline (I Want to Be That Bold)

[dicta_contrion]

Title: Make Me a Headline (I Want to Be That Bold)
Pairing: Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson/Blaise Zabini, mention of Harry Potter/Lee Jordan, general mention of past sexual partners
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 31k
Warnings/Enticements:
Pining, getting back together, penseive memory sex, oral sex, face-fucking, semi-public sex, anal sex, bit of dirty talk, feelings

Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Draco never expected to see Harry doing that again. Especially with someone else, in a grainy photograph that's landed on his desk one Monday morning.

Make Me a Headline (I Want to Be That Bold)

This was my fic for the always fabulous dracotops_harry fest! Huge thanks are due to disapparater for telling me every time that Draco got to be too much of a jerk and for pushing me to go deeper in thinking through Harry and Draco's motivations. In addition to brit-picking and beta-ing, this story owes quite a bit of its emotional coherence to her thougtful questions and interventions. Also to sophie_french for reading through an early draft and being incredibly encouraging and thoughtful, and for many discussions about how to proceed, and to vaysh for being a phenomenally supportive, patient, kind, all-around incredible mod. And, of course, to firethesound for a prompt that was a great deal of fun, and for indulging my overthinking on the subject of knees.

Also, and very importantly, a huge, huge, huge thanks to everyone who's read and commented. Once I hit a stride I really enjoyed writing this, but the process of figuring out how these various pieces would fit together was...a struggle. I was quite convinced that this just didn't work, and that the emotional resonance I was hoping it would have was just not going to hold together (which I say as someone who is not generally given over to false or exaggerated humility. I just really thought it, you know, had some good moments but pretty much sucked on the whole). I've been overwhelmed and moved by the very kind, thoughtful, thoroughly amazing comments that people have left and the reactions people have shared, and if you left one of those comments please know how grateful I am. It's been one of those experiences that makes me feel so incredibly lucky to be part of fandom, and this fandom community in particular. Huge ♥s to all of you!

Comments

[eidheann_writes]

So sad
I couldn't even do a "I was right" chair dance when reveals went up because I so knew it was yours XD

(my one pretty complaint. For the entire thing. Because everything else was perfect)

[eidheann_writes]

AND GIANT RED HEARTS TAKING OVER THE Screen. ARE BACK!

[digthewriter]

I had the giant red hearts on mobile version but not on the computer.

[eidheann_writes]

Yeah. But I'm pretty much always on mobile XD
I had missed them!

[digthewriter]

Oh yeah. They're super lame.

What's worse is the polls. I don't partake in any polls b/c of how it shows up on my feed after.

[dicta-contrion.livejournal.com]

DAMNIT!!! *shakes fist at red hearts* *reconsiders because they accurately reflect the amount of love conveyed* *apologizes to red hearts*

[dicta-contrion.livejournal.com]

You did! And I was trying so hard to be all coy like "you can guess all you want but I can't tell you" but you totally knew. I didn't even know how you knew! But. You knew. Retroactive chair dance?

[vaysh]

♥

One more for giant red hearts which sadly don't show for me.

[dicta-contrion.livejournal.com]

They're half showing for me! But I'll take hearts at any size. ♥

[capitu]

I so loved this story. Well, you know. :D

[dicta-contrion.livejournal.com]

I do because you are amazing!!! Thank you ♥♥♥

[firethesound]

THIS FIC. <3 <3 <3

::steals it and rolls around in it forever and ever::

[dicta-contrion.livejournal.com]

You don't even have to steal it cause it's for you! (though you can if you want to. badass thievery.)

And you! ♥♥♥ So so glad you liked it.

[blithelybonny.livejournal.com]

This. Fic.

alskdf;alksfjdoaiwjrf <------------------------------------ proper keyboard smash

<3

[dicta-contrion.livejournal.com]

Aah, YAY!!!! Grinning right now. Thank you! ♥

[this-bloody-cat.livejournal.com]

It was absolutely brilliant, I can't believe you ever thought it wasn't! ♥

[dicta-contrion.livejournal.com]

As Sophie kept saying to me, we're never the best judges of our own work. I'm glad you were so vehement about not burning with fire! Also: ♥♥♥.

[maya231.livejournal.com]

I loved this so so much. Really loved how well you showed Draco's fear and his courage. Pansy and Blaise were great.

[dicta-contrion.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!! That's really really lovely to hear! ♥♥