FIC: Harry Potter Gives a Shit (Harry/Draco)

[bottomdraco-mod.livejournal.com]

Title: Harry Potter Gives a Shit
Author: talithan
Prompt: 42
Adapted from: Queer as Folk
Pairing: Harry/Draco, Harry/Others
Word Count: ~58,000 words
Rating: NC-17
Contains (Highlight to view): * drug and alcohol abuse, bisexuality (and accordingly, references to het sex), elements of PTSD*
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.
Notes: Many, many thanks to 9fn432 for the beta and reassurance (particularly in that final stretch!), to E for the feedback and encouragement, and to L for being my sounding board and assuring me I could do this. You all were invaluable and I truly could not have pulled this off without you ♥ Endless thanks to the lovely mods for their patience with me and their generous extensions as I completed this monster of a story, and for running this wonderful fest!

Also, an enormous thank you to ashiiblack for this prompt! I was immediately intrigued by it—primarily because I initially couldn’t imagine how to reconcile the Brian and Justin characters with Harry and Draco in an EWE scenario, which of course meant I had to try to figure out how to do so. The preference for EWE over AU and the request (requirement, even) that one of them be an Auror shaped this fic the most. Because of those factors, this adaptation is a bit loose, though all of does have its roots in the plot and characters of QaF. I hope you like it!

(The title?)

Summary: “Where are you headed?”

“No place special,” Draco fumbled, and flushed further.

But then:

“I can change that,” said Harry Potter.




Harry Potter Gives a Shit

Comments

[drarryisgreen]

This is the most amazing thing I have read so far in the fest. I love QAF and this was fantastic.

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! Glad to hear you enjoyed it :)

[kolachess.livejournal.com]

Such a wonderful read! This was such a pleasure and I'm so glad for Harry and Draco. :3 Great writing!

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much :) So glad you liked it!

[all-not-well.livejournal.com]

Great adaptation! Really truly well done. It felt like QAF, and it felt like HP, and was a wonderful amalgamation of both. I enjoyed this muchly, and yay for happy endings. :)

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I was a little afraid that in combining the two it would come out seeming like neither, so it's great to hear that it did feel like QAF and HP both :)

[gekko11.livejournal.com]

This is absolutely fantastic! You've done an excellent job of bending the story line of QaF to fit into the world of HP without forcing anything or losing who Draco and Harry are. And I'm so glad Harry was able to admit his feelings a lot sooner than Brian ever did!

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm really glad to hear that Draco and Harry still seemed like themselves, given how different they are from Justin and Brian are as characters. And yes, there was no way I was letting Harry take five years to admit his feelings, haha :)

[secka.livejournal.com]

it's almost 4 o'clock in the morning here, and I've just finished reading and simply had to comment - this is BRILLIANT. amazing. I'm a big fan of QAF, but right now I feel that this is soo much better. your Harry/Brian is so perfectly broken I almost cried. thank you so much for this.

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Wow, what a compliment! A broken Harry is one of my favorite things to read and was really a blast to write. Thank you so much!

[nattish.livejournal.com]

Holy crap! Can’t believe I read all that in a day -- I’m not typically a long fic reader, but I couldn’t stop with this one.

So, first off, I came for the Queer As Folk (I used to love that show. I may have to watch it all again now.), but I stayed for the quality, well-paced, interesting writing. I was intrigued with how you were able to catch the adapted characters’ sensibilities and vulnerabilities without making them replicas of their Queer As Folk counterparts. What a joy to read a more reclusive, yet sought-after, somehow skilled at his “role” in society, and yet hedonistic version of Harry Potter. This is a take on him I love, and so rarely get to read.

Draco! He was the right amount of hesitant and interested in Harry without breaking character. I could definitely see him being careful about his actions in a post-war wizarding world, and trying not to ruffle any feathers so he could blend in and get through Auror training. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed his interactions with Astoria and Ginny (speaking of whom, what a great re-telling of Harry and Ginny’s relationship. I adore it when Harry isn’t utterly gay or without a relationship history with Ginny in a Harry/Draco fic -- it’s far more three-dimensional). Draco's relationship with his mother was interesting and believable. I like that she first walked the line between worrying for Draco and staying true to Lucius, but then kept a closer eye on Draco what it was clear he needed her.

The Weasleys with Draco were lovely. Ron was just right -- accepting, moral, but not ate up with Draco when he didn’t have to be. Same with Hermione. I liked that she was initially interested in Draco because of her anti-discrimination leanings, but then seemed to grow warm towards him.

Oh, and the obvious: What hot sex scenes! No Queer As Folk adaption would be complete without an abundance of hot sex, where sex is the point of the scene and also where sex is the backdrop for some plot pushing conversations. This adaption was just spot-on, and I can’t commend you more for your ability to apply the Harry Potter universe to this familiar story-line. Well done. If I knew who you were, I’d be off to read more of your fic.

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, what a comment! In writing this and adapting the Harry Potter characters to a storyline with such different players, believable characterization was my main goal, so it's wonderful to hear that they worked for you. Harry and Ginny's relationship and Ginny's role in H/D is of particular interest for me and I was a little afraid of giving them so much history when many readers seem to prefer Ginny out of the picture – glad that wasn't a drawback, haha. Same with the more careful, hesitant Draco – Justin is so forward, confident, and even bratty at times, but it didn't seem to make sense for Draco in this version of things. Ahhh, I could ramble on and on. Just so very pleased to read your reactions to everyone!

As for the sex, well, I do like to try to make sure sex always has a point, be it plot or character development, but I mean...it's Queer as Folk :) Gotta stay true to the source.

(Alas, I have no more fic to read. But I am participating in a few upcoming fests, so please do read those as they come, if you're interested.)

Thank you so much for commenting, and for reccing as well!

No title

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User nattish referenced to your post from No title (http://nattish.livejournal.com/84806.html) saying: [...] A great, long Harry/Draco-lover's dream: Harry Potter Gives a Shit [...]

[mezzo-cammin.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow, that was wonderful!! I was just going to read a bit of it and then save it for later, but I was hooked immediately and it was just all warm and real and heart-in-throat at times, and just lovely! The style, the story - all of it! Great job!

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Eek, thank you so much! Happy to have hooked you :)

[eidheann_writes]

Lovely job. I'm apparently in the minority which knows nothing of the original source, but you crafted a lovely story that stands alone very well.

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm really glad the fic worked for folks who aren't familiar with QAF; the plot and characters were a bit of a leap. Thanks for taking the time to read it, and for reccing it as well :)

[jtlovescookie.livejournal.com]

This is just beautifully written. Thank you so much! I would really like to get into fanfic writing myself, but I don't think to be able to understand how to develop a character as deep as you do.

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Character development is my favorite part of fic, as a reader and a writer, so that means a lot :)

[ashiiblack.livejournal.com]

Holy shit!

I initially wrote this very specific prompt for a friend who wanted to claim it, and then she decided to go a different way. I was SO crushed that I wouldn't get to read a QAF adaptation! I was VERY pleasantly surprised when I saw that someone else claimed it!

This is such an amazing read. I'm so impressed with the development of the characters, and how easily you managed to weave my favorite elements of QAF into the magical world. I love the dynamics of Harry/Draco and the AMAZING HOT SEX.

The minor characters were spot on. Each character clearly had a place in the story - I adore that you kept some of the storyline of Justin and his mother.

Through the entire fic, I was wondering if you would have Peakes attack Draco AND YOU DID!

What I found most impressive was how you gave Draco such an amazing internal dialogue. As a TV show, QAF doesn't give that side to us. This Draco is one of the most well-developed and realistic characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

AMAZING job!

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Ahhhh, thank you so much for this prompt!! It was so much fun to write, and having a prompt that I couldn't get out of my head – with a fest deadline attached! – was a real kick in the pants to finally finish and post a fic. I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it, the integrated elements of QAF in particular. Fitting the characters together and figuring out what parallels I could keep was the best part of all of this (okay, maybe the sex :P); I'm so attached to Jennifer and Justin's relationship and nodding to it with Narcissa was honestly a pleasure, haha.

And goodness, what a compliment! I'm so glad to hear Draco's characterization and inner monologue worked well for you :) Thank you for reading and commenting!

Harry Potter Gives a Shit by Anonymous

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User capitu referenced to your post from Harry Potter Gives a Shit by Anonymous (http://my-drarry-recs.livejournal.com/229620.html) saying: [...] Title: Harry Potter Gives a Shit [...]

[capitu]

Wow. What a journey this story was.

I have to admit, I've never seen Queer as Folk (and I really should!) but this story is outstanding on its own. I love how you wrote Draco. His determination to be his own person was beautiful. And I loved how you wrote Harry too, flawed, messed up Harry. I loved it because I could see so much in him, you know?

I loved the plot, and boy, I loved the sex. These sex scenes here are some of the hottest I've read.

This was gorgeous. I loved it.

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! It's particularly nice to hear that it stands well apart from Queer as Folk; I was a little afraid that the story wouldn't be believable without knowledge of the source, so I'm really glad that's not the case :) A very determined, goal-driven Draco and a more messed-up, lost Harry was a really fun playground, character-wise, and I'm really pleased you enjoyed those aspects. Also the sex :) That was a lot of fun :)

Thank you for commenting, and also for your lovely rec! Especially: "It's a journey of two young men finding their way in the world" – that's exactly what I was hoping to accomplish with this, so I was so happy to read that.

[jm9001.livejournal.com]

The sound you just heard was my brain EXPLODING all over the keyboard because this was SO AMAZING.
I love love love love love love love your portrayal of Harry as Brian. No, really. SO GOOD. Seriously, it was so true to Harry's character, and you did one of the best jobs I've ever seen of digging into him and it made for such an interesting and rich study of Harry post-war. AND it was true enough to Brian that I was just like ASDGHKAS WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THIS PAGE HOW DID YOU CRAM SO MANY OF THE BEST THINGS EVER IN ONE FIC THIS IS JUST SO GOOD I CANT EVEN.
Also I love love loved the first part because getting into Draco's head, in a weird way, was like rewatching the first episode of Queer as Folk inside Justin's head, and that was all kinds of insanely awesome and incredible.
I just loved this so much. It was so, so, so good. Have I mentioned that yet? Because for real. Really. Just. Words. They are hard to make.
Perfect balance of staying true to both sets of original material. Loved Ginny like nothing else, and Harry just about killed me (in a good way). And Draco. Oh, Draco! He was so, so, so wonderful and watching both his and Harry's characters develop so richly throughout the story was beautiful. Oh man. I am just.
Also the line about six perfectly good bedrooms had me pretty much on the floor laughing. Oh Molly... That was such a Debbie line that I was giggling for days.
Ok. Going to watch QAF on youtube now because HOW COULD I NOT after this fic reminded me how awesome it is?

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, I can't stop grinning! Thank you for this comment :) It's so wonderful to hear that the characterization worked for you, especially Harry – he and Brian are so different, and with the choice to stay in Draco's head the whole time I was slightly concerned that the believability/depth of Harry's character would suffer. Very pleased to hear that isn't the case! I'm glad it felt true to both HP and QAF for you, and that I could remind you of QAF's awesomeness :)

[asphyxiate-crs.livejournal.com]

I was so pleased to see this! Queer As Folk was an amazing show, and seeing Draco, Harry, and their universe playing out this story was fabulous.
Draco is still Draco, Harry is Harry, but a little more enigmatic - though so is Brian Kinney. Great adaption! This made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside with feels.

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Keeping Draco true to Draco and Harry true to Harry was my primary objective, so I'm so glad to hear you thought that worked :)

[tsukiihime.livejournal.com]

This is absolutely unbelievably amazing, like I don't think I have enough adjectives. You merged the two stories together so well and it works SO WELL. I am no good with words here, you've rendered me quite incapable of much coherent thought. who are you, mysterious author??? I want to read more of your fics >__

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, thank you so much! So great to hear that you thought it worked well :) Sad to say that I don't actually have any other fics for you to read, but I will be participating in a few more fears in the next several months, so please do read those as they come out if you'd like!

[s0ulrunner.livejournal.com]

That was so amazing. At the end of each part I was like "No, it can't end like that!!!" And then I saw the continue button. ^^" Harry was such a jerk and I was afraid you might not make him actually make it up to Draco and that Draco might stay with him anyway, but you wrapped it all up quiet nicely. Wonderful story! :)

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! Glad you liked it :) And there was no way I was letting this end unhappily, haha, I'm way too much of a sap for that :P

[snapeandcompany.livejournal.com]

This was so beuatiful! Thank you..
A few years ago, I was a big QAF Fan and HP was always one of my favorite, so the connection was great.
But what made it special, was your great style. Your have a way with words, I admire!
Thanks and Greatings,
Adrian-

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! :)

[noeon.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed reading this. I'd never have thought of Harry as Brian but you made it work and work well. Kudos!

(Also addictive as hell - I couldn't stop reading).

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'd never thought of it either before seeing this prompt and wasn't actually sure I could make it work, so it's nice to hear that it worked for you :) Glad you enjoyed it!

[tryslora]

I should have flailed all over this when I finished reading, but I was on my phone and couldn't type enough and haven't had enough time back at the computer until now. But DAMN. This was amazing. I could see all the ties to QaF and the feelings that that invoked, but at the same time, it's all the characters, and logical ways that they've grown. I could see the parallels and still see the world I love from HP. Gods. This is amazing. Fantasic. Fabulous. Thank you so much for sharing this story; I loved it.

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Oh goodness, thank you so much! It's really nice to hear that the tiebacks and parallels didn't take away from the HP world; I was hoping the mix would be believable but wasn't entirely confident it would be, so I'm so glad it worked for you :)

[oakstone730.livejournal.com]

Add me to the list of those who have never watched QaF but absolutely loved this story. Your messed-up Harry was brilliant and Draco was even better. I love the supporting roles of all the Weasleys and Astoria. Great job!

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I had a lot of fun with the supporting characters :) And it's great to hear that the story worked for people who weren't familiar with QAF!

B!Draco Week 4 recs

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User eidheann_writes referenced to your post from B!Draco Week 4 recs (http://eidheann-writes.livejournal.com/35507.html) saying: [...] and delightful and... gah, I don't even. Hysterically funny. Title: Harry Potter Gives a Shit [...]

[allijsj90.livejournal.com]

Oh my...wow...ah...this was really-, no, actually totally abso-fucking-lutely terrific! I've read quite a lot of HP fanfiction and watched QaF enough times to last a lifetime and I can't believe how well you put the two - admittedly rather different - universes together.

I think I spotted most of the lines you directly copied from the series and it made me smile how you manged to insert them into the story, keeping all the scenes nevertheless so Harry and Draco.
And your take on all the characters! Amazing! I loved, loved, loved Ginny and Draco. Alone, together, their reactions to the other characters - everything was done so well. Especially Draco was just the right kind of vulnerable, determined, sweet, sexy and generally loveable.

But I think I have this slight dislike of one Harry Potter. I mean, I kind of like Brian Kinney. But Harry is supposed to be nice to Draco! And although he gets round to being pretty decent towards the end, I didn't like him all that much half way through the story. I'll be continuing things in my head tonight [it's 3 o'clock in the morning here and consequently my classes tomorrow have just been sacrificed in lieu of The Harry Potter Fanfiction Addiction (which at least rhymes) - anyway...] where Harry comes through for Draco, protecting him against mean anti-death-eater-bullies, taking revenge on Peakes and generally turning this thing with Draco into a wonderful relationship (chest-monster and all). Because I'd rather not see Draco turning into a slightly cynical, Justin-Brian-Kenny-is-my-model-and-I-like-it-Taylor kind of person. But I have the feeling the ending of your story actually suggest their heading towards their happyly-ever-after, so I'm happy.

Thanks for entertaining me the last 5 hours and writing this rather grandiose piece of fanfiction! :)

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad to hear the mixing of the two very different universes worked for you – I honestly wasn't sure whether I'd be able to make them fit together. Harry was certainly a bit of a stretch as Brian, but I do think that he's been through enough awful things that it would mess him up, a least a little! And I would say it ends on a rather optimistic note :) Thank you for taking the time to read it!

[appleling.livejournal.com]

This was absolutely sensational! A clever adaptation that was truly well executed and so enjoyable to read! I love how well-paced the story is, without sounding rushed or dragged too slow! I love the tone of the story; how it was the perfect rendition of a beautifully imperfect love story between two broken characters! I love that you told the story from Draco's pov. His voice and internal monologue was beautifully done! His voice was the right amount of hesitant and insecure, of loneliness, the longing to belong and feel belonged... and of quiet strength and resilience. This Draco was definitely one of the most well-developed, most believable and definitely one of the most lovable Draco I have ever read!

And Harry. Flawed, broken and lost Harry was beautiful in all his imperfections! At first I had my doubts how you'll be able to reconcile righteous, heroic Harry Potter with devastatingly irresistible, hedonist Brian. But oh. My. God. You did it! You did it beautifully! You've made Harry into a highly sought-after yet untouchable public hero; a reluctant hero... who is quietly compassionate on the inside but outwardly selfish, flawed, and lost, with abandonment issues disguised as commitment/intimacy issues (I don't see him as a man who is afraid of commitment simply because he didn't like to be tied down but more like a man who is afraid of breaking, should he become invested in someone only to be abandoned after like the way so many of his loved ones died in the war). What's even more amazing was that you've reconciled both the portrayal of an unapologetic hedonist Harry and a Harry who is capable of loving one person whole-heartedly, with every fiber of his soul. I can see the 'Brian' in Harry but at the same time, Harry still feels like our beloved Harry!

I love how well you've adapted the QAF characters’ personalities and vulnerabilities into their HP counterparts without seeming odd or sounding too much like exact replicas from the QAF universe. I love how everything was the perfect blend of both! Truly impressive and a joy to read! Well done, Mystery Author!

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, thank you so much! I had a lot of fun putting this together, and it's so wonderful to hear that it worked the way I wanted it to :) The way you've described Draco and Harry was exactly what I was going for! Especially the blend of Harry and Brian, which was quite tricky :P Thank you for reading and for this lovely comment, and of course for running this wonderful fest :D

[kimuranakai.livejournal.com]

I am amazed by your ability to merge the two universe seamlessly. I could never picture Harry as Brian but you have managed to make him believable, and Draco is so real in this story and I feel so much for him. Ginny as Lindsey is an absolutely fantastic choice! She is caring and understanding and I simply adore her.
Wonderfully done darling!

[talithan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! To be honest, I really couldn't picture Harry as Brian either, at first. And I had a lot of fun with Ginny as Lindsay for sure :) Glad to hear you liked it!