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About the author:
hepburnettes is Wattpad Star and Wattpad Ambassador. She is also a part of Paid Program with many stories. Her "Draconian" is a Wattys Winning story as a Potterverse fanfiction.
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Synopsis
Draco Malfoy is Voldemort's head Death-Eater, and Hermione Granger holds the key to his redemption. Together, they have to find a way to end the war in a world governed by draconian laws.
Premise
Three years ago, the Dark Lord defeated Harry Potter in the battle of Hogwarts, forcing Harry and the rest of the Order members to go into hiding. Desperate to survive after his mother's betrayal, Draco Malfoy was forced to kill his way through the ranks to become the most lethal, most terrifying Death-Eater, second-in-command only to the Dark Lord himself.Caught in a downward spiral towards self-loathing and destruction, Draco jumps at a chance for redemption offered by his Aunt Andromeda: find Hermione Granger - the girl he once hated; one third of the Golden Trio and possibly the only person who can restore the Order and end the war.But when Draco finds Hermione three years later, he soon realises that she's none of those things. The bruised, battered version of Hermione remembers no one but him and has no wish to return to the Order.
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What is the inspiration for Draconian? What do you think of Draco as an antihero character?
I usually tend to write what I want to read. The entire premise of Draconian hinges on a single question: what if Voldemort had read Harry's mind and knew that Harry was the master of the Elder Wand?
So from there, I created the result of this—i.e. a dystopian AU where Voldemort had won, with a focus on the Slytherins as the front and centre of chaos. I also wanted darker, more matured versions of the cast in a world where all hope is lost, and a way for the Gryffindors and Slytherins (and one Ravenclaw!) to work together to end the war.
Draco can be considered an antihero in the context of Draconian, and it works because he's dealt with a great deal of loss in this version of events. And that motivates him to act in a more selfless way at times, than we are used to seeing in the books. But he's definitely still a self-presevationist by nature, and he definitely doesn't have the same moral compass as someone like Harry would.
You use spells and charms in Harry Potter to name your chapters. Is there a special meaning behind this?
Yes, there is! Each spell correlates to the content within the chapter. There are really obvious ones like 'Expecto', which is the chapter where Hermione casts a Patronus charm. But there are also others with a bit more hidden meaning, like 'Silencio', for the chapter where Hermione is sort of shocked into silence to see Harry again.
Are there any difficulties in writing this fanfiction? What is your favorite part of writing this story?
The hardest part of it was also the easiest. I've written original stories for years, but Draconian was my first fanfiction ever, so it was really daunting to say the least. I didn't know whether anyone would even read it, let alone like it.
But because of that, I myself went in with zero expectations. I didn't care who would read it, or what they would think. I just wrote it because I've always wanted to read a story like that.
And it turned out alright, I think! This mindset that I had was definitely my favourite part of writing Draconian.
If you were one character in Harry Potter, who would you be? And why?
Luna Lovegood, probably! I think it'd be nice to see what others can't see, and not care about what they think. To perceive that world through her eyes would honestly be a pretty magical experience—more magical than it already is.
This story got you to win Wattys 2016 so what is your advice to writers who want to write Harry Potter fanfiction and get more attention to it?
Well, we all know the usual: good writing, good plot, catchy title, catchy cover. Beyond that, I think it's also important to establish a readership by interacting with readers and writers alike within that fandom. You can do that on writing platforms like wattpad, or places like tumblr/twitter etc. Get your story out there with the right hashtags, because that's how readers find you. Like anything else you do, be patient with yourself. It takes time to build an audience.
One additional question, what is your Hogwarts House?
Slytherin, of course! I think it's pretty obvious from the way I wrote Draconian!
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