It's Epic/Super!Epic Theme Week!

Title: Invisible to See
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairing: Draco/Harry (Draco/Justin Finch Fletchley, Harry/Cho Chang)
Categories: AU, sixth year, conceived prior to Order of the Phoenix, action/adventure, drama, romance, mystery, angst, some humor, growing up, war with Voldemort
Length: Epic (94,963 words)
Warnings: Minor character death. Narcissa Malfoy

Author on LJ: invisibletosee
Author Website: FayJay
Author's Summary:
Invisible to See is a novel set in JK Rowling's Harry Potter universe, exploring one possible future for some of the key characters. It was begun in November of 2002 and completed in December of 2003; as such the story was conceived without benefit of The Order of the Phoenix, and cleaves only to prior canon. It is a swashbuckling tale of love, friendship, romance, redemption and vengeance, and of the messy business of coming to terms with the differences between who you are and who other people want you to be. Or, in other word, growing up.

Review:
This year marks the tenth anniversary of this HP classic, and I have a definite soft spot for long, imaginative stories written before Deathly Hallows -- in this case, well before. FayJay does a terrific job of following on from Goblet of Fire, keeping everyone in character, while giving Draco a stark and convincing reason to escape his father and the Death Eaters.

Draco's too smart to miss the last chance to save his skin by fleeing to Hogwarts. Harry, Ron and Hermione are naturally suspicious of his sudden reappearance, and Dumbledore and Snape have to take precautions, since Draco may be a spy - even if it's unwillingly. What follows is action and mystery and self discovery, with Draco growing up, and both he and Harry discovering their sexuality while under the shadow of the war with Voldemort and the very real threat Lucius presents.

I loved that Draco remains perfectly Slytherin throughout, while Harry can't shake his habit of acting first and thinking later. The story's thoughtful and suspenseful, plotty and decidedly hot. Draco's point of view is my favorite, for the cracks we get to see in his (often funny) sharp facade, how rattled he is by death and betrayal and by finding himself alone. His new and startling (to him) friendships with Neville and Dobby are well done, and when Justin offers a lifeline of affection, Draco jumps on it, even though he knows it's just physical. The mystery of Hogwarts' spy is well plotted, and eventually the twists bring Draco together with Harry, who, as always, has been following him, arguing with him, attempting to save him, and generally being drawn to Draco throughout.

Invisible to See (AO3)
On LJ: Prologue - Chapter 2, Chapters 3 - 22, Chapters 23 - 40