Beautiful World, Old City Jasmine

[aidenfire]

Hi, I'm your Harry/Draco reccer. Apologies on the slowness on getting started, but I am planning on doing all 50 eventually!

Find my table here.

Claim: Harry Potter, Harry/Draco
Title: Beautiful World
Author: Cinnamon
Characters: Harry, Draco
Prompt: 26. Death
Rating: PG-13 at the beginning, R by the end
Length: Epic
Brief summary: This was the only story that I immediately knew I had to rec for a certain prompt. Beautiful World will rip your heart out. It may or may not put it back. Keep a box of tissues on hand for this one. The writing is gorgeous, sad and dreamy. The characters are spot on, and the development is beyond fabulous. I doubt that many people are out there who haven't read it yet, but, if you're a H/D shipper and you haven't, you need to.
Link to the story: http://www.schnoogle.com/authorLinks/Cinnamon/Beautiful_World/


Hermione was on one side, Ron on the other, and they were arguing over Harry's head about something Harry didn't bother to listen to. They'd been doing that all year, arguing over his head. Ron had always been taller than Harry, and Hermione had grown a lot over the summer. Now she was tall, though her hair was still bushy and she was still very skinny. Harry had hardly grown at all. Still small, slight, pale, with wild dark hair, and enough facial hair to merit shaving once a week. But he didn't care. He didn't care about much, really.


Claim: Harry Potter, Harry/Draco
Title: Old City Jasmine
Author: silentauror
Characters: Harry, Draco
Prompt: 42. Holiday
Rating: NC-17
Length: Long
Brief summary: silentauror does atmosphere like nobody's business. Actually, she does everything like nobody's business. This is one of my favorite fics of hers, and she's written lots. The story delves deep into Harry and Draco's relationship, and does the transition from enemies to friends to lovers very well. SA shows the why of it--it's so easy to see why it works, why they're good for each other. Add that with the hot dreamy haze of Damascus, and touches of mid-war drama, and just stellar writing--mmmmm.


They were just passing through the heavy gates of the Umayyad mosque as the calls started - a wailing chant, sung live, magnified from the four corners of the mosque's minarets, echoing off the stone. People flocking slowly toward the upper left corner to the interior of the mosque itself, to pray. Neither of them spoke. Malfoy led him slowly through the inner courtyard toward the door. Harry felt as though he were in a leisurely, unhurried dream. A flock of pigeons between themselves and the doors flew off, their wings flapping loudly and mingling with the calls. Carrying their sandals in their left hands, they passed into the mosque.

It felt... magical, for lack of a better word. Harry looked around himself in wonder, moved by something somehow deeper and more profound than what he normally felt. He could not have said what it was that he was feeling, but it felt like a strange combination of this place, this sense of ancient history, and Malfoy. All of it together. They walked around the mosque together, careful to avoid the rows of those praying along the Eastern wall.

When it felt right, they left again, going back into the splendour of the courtyard. All in white marble and lavishly decorated in ornate, gold-inlaid likenesses of trees and hanging vines, Harry thought it was one of the most beautiful places he'd seen.


Link to the story: http://archive.skyehawke.com/story.php?no=9969&font=on

Comments

[callsigns.livejournal.com]

I have been *waiting* for the H/D recs to begin! I can't wait to see what all you rec. :)

[aidenfire]

Ahahah, sorry. I'm a spaz. I'm planning on posting another set of two recs tonight. :)

FTR, have you read the fics? What did/do you think?

[callsigns.livejournal.com]

I've read Beautiful World, I think, a long time ago. I haven't read the other yet. But I will! I certainly will! :D

[aidenfire]

Yeah, I figured that most people had probably read Beautiful World, but, couldn't pass it up. I'm going to try to do mostly less well known stories, but there are certain stories that just have to be recced--if I didn't rec UL, for example, well...what kind of H/D reccer would I be? :)

[callsigns.livejournal.com]

Totally! And Transfigurations!

I'm always on the lookout for long, plotty, porny, angsty, *well-written* H/D, and I fear I've reached the end of them. I'll be so excited to follow your recs! (Are you reccing The Shadow of His Wings? sadhf;fs a'saja;!!!)

Your icon is my desktop. :)

[aidenfire]

Oh, yes yes yes. :)

Mmmmm, I'll probably end up reccing Shadow of His Wings. It's hard for me with silentauror because I think she's absolutely fabulous and could probably, hahah, do all 50 recs with just her stuff (she's written enough!). But, she's also about my best friend, online or off, so I don't want people thinking that I'm reccing her just becausae I love her.

Are you reading her latest WIP? Probably my favorite of her novel-lengths so far. And that's really saying something.

I love that picture. :)

[callsigns.livejournal.com]

Will you hit me if I say I'm not sure if I've read any of her stuff? *g* But I will, now!



And oh, I see you've friended me. If you feel the need to defriend, please feel free, because while I am large with the Harry/Draco love, my main fandom is popslash, and *NSYNC in particular. And 99% of my posts revolve around that. So, yes. A heads-up, and I will be not offended should you defriend. :)

[aidenfire]

Oh, it's fabulous! All of it. Mmmm. Seriously, I haven't read a fic of hers that I haven't LOVED.

No worries. I'm not all over the popslash love, but I don't have a problem with it, and am totally open to horizon broadening. :)

[callsigns.livejournal.com]

Oh yay! God, I love LJ sometimes. :)

[aidenfire]

Hahah, I know. So many cool new people to meet!

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

Penniiiiiii!!!

How on earth did you post this without my seeing it???? You devious little... um, devious thing! My already-massive amount of love for you just, like, trebled. All fifty recs, ahahaha! :) But the best friend bit! a;kdjf;kjadkjd Me too!! :)

God, I love you! ♥♥♥♥♥

[aidenfire]

*flails*

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

[nehellania.livejournal.com]

How did I get this far in life without reading Old City Jasmine? That was gorgeous, Penni, absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for a great rec!

[aidenfire]

Don't thank me! Thank SA! Did you leave a review? I know she'd love to hear from you--she's one of the best feedback-responders I know! :)

But thank you anyway--I'm so glad you liked it. :)

[nehellania.livejournal.com]

Dude I'm in the midst of leaving a review! I'm being long-winded, squeeful and verbose!

[aidenfire]

Yay!!! :)

Seriously, though, isn't it wonderful? Mmmm. That's one of my top three of her short fics, and considering how much she's written, well.

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

Are you "Jen", then? :) If so, I'm just about to answer your long and very lovely review! :) Thank you sooo much! ♥

[nehellania.livejournal.com]

Yes! Jen would be me! I loved it! Mere words cannot express how much! and I've bookmarked all the rest to read for tomorrow. Though honestly, I think I've read some of them before. I shall be sure to leave more feedback! :)

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

:D :D :D

Am answering your review even now! But dear God, you're planning to read all the rest tomorrow??? :) Should I warn you that the overall word count is something like 1,200,000 right now? :)

If this is the only fic of mine that you ever read, I'm still delighted. :) Thanks for reading it! More in a moment. ♥

[nehellania.livejournal.com]

Hee! You wrote lovely feedback to my feedback. I think I love you. I'm off to friend you now, just so you know.

[silentauror.livejournal.com]

What lovely feedback to my feedback to your feedback! :D I think it's mutual. Off to friend you right back. ♥

[aidenfire]

You guys are adorable. :)

I have such good taste, lol.