You've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed

This is one of my all-time favourite H/D fics ever. A conversation about the art on the hd_fan_fair banners (you can see the beautiful original here on isinuyasha's LJ) made me realise that some of my newer friends might not have read this glorious story, and I need to do all I can to rectify this terrible possibility!

Author: saras_girl
Title: All Life is Yours to Miss
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, Ron/Hermione [past Draco/OMC and past Draco/Pansy implied]
Summary: Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.
Rating: R
Word Count: 115,000
Warning(s): Nothing serious. Flangst, original characters, lots and lots of talking.

I just reread All Life is Yours to Miss this week and it hasn't lost a bit of its genius. It took me right back to Hogwarts as if I was discovering it for the first time. It's deliciously Draco-centric, but Harry is also present on every line just by the wonderful, warm, vivid way that saras_girl evokes his character. Draco breaks my heart a little in this fic, he has so little self-worth and finds it so hard to open up and let any intimacy or joy into his life. But Harry mends it a thousand times over. He's so stubborn and determined and alive and loving and smart and honest and HARRY, even when an accident occurs and he is unable to move or communicate. It's the most wonderful thing to watch Draco slowly blossom and make connections within the castle, and then when Harry starts to recover, the relationship between them is funny and moving and frustrating and amazing and sizzles with UST.

The supporting characters are just brilliant. Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid and McGonagall are a delight, as are the pissed-off house-elves who start to serve up things like raw turnip sandwiches due to their unhappiness with Draco. And as usual with saras_girl's writing, there's a great cast of original characters too, including the unforgettable Stanley, the oversized mint beetle who is Draco's pet, and stole my heart completely in this story.

I know it's long, but it's super, super worth it. I can't recommend it enough.

There is another reason I wanted to rec this today, and this is because the fic has just tipped over 100,000 hits on AO3. WOW! \o/ I think this deserves much celebration, not just for this fic, but for our wonderful, vibrant fandom, that still has so many passionate readers. ♥  If you've already read All Life is Yours to Miss, I'd love you to comment and tell me what your favourite part was (I think mine might be the exchange You can't argue with the Sorting Hat!/ I can argue with anything.) And if you've yet to read it, you have a massive treat in store, I promise.

I've been watching this creeping up, and today, my fic Hungry is just about to reach 20,000 hits on AO3. \o/ \o/ \o/

( The boring rambly bit )

( The (slightly more) cool bit )