The Bodyguard by emmy_award

Pairing: Harry Potter/Hermione Granger

Word count: 111,326

Warnings: battle scenes, violence, graphic injuries

Author’s Summary

In which Hermione is Minister for Magic, Harry is Head Auror, and nothing goes according to plan.

My Thoughts

The world of Harry Potter fanfiction is, to put it mildly, a smorgasbord of pairings. Fans will ship everyone and everything. And while there is definitely something for every preference imaginable, it can also make finding good stories difficult. You know what I mean—it’s like when there are too many channels to choose from, and you can’t find anything to watch despite the sheer volume of possibility. Because of this phenomenon, it had been a few years since I visited Harry Potter fanfics. But a few weeks ago I was feeling some type of way about Harry and Hermione and figured I would dive back in to see if any new stories had been written lately.

I’m so glad I did.

I stumbled upon The Bodyguard and have been thinking about it pretty much nonstop ever since. In this post-Hogwarts universe, which ignores the epilogue, Hermione finds herself in a dangerous predicament. It’s been several years since the defeat of Voldemort, and she has worked hard to become the first muggle-born Minister for Magic. But when there is an attempt on her life, precautions must be taken—including guarding of her person by none other than the Head Auror, Harry. Now right off the bat, you’d think this is great. They’re best friends, right? Well, not so much anymore. But during this perilous time when they are forced to spend almost every moment together, they rediscover their connection…and make some new ones.

There are a lot of reasons this story has stayed with me since devouring every word. For one, I found it incredibly refreshing that not everything is sunshine and roses with the “Golden Trio.” After the Battle of Hogwarts, and indeed after their “high school years”, Harry, Hermione, and Ron have grown into themselves. And just like in real life, sometimes people grow apart when that happens. Author emmy_award doesn’t shy away from conflict but manages to do so in a way that doesn’t bash any characters the way some HP fics tend to do. It’s also wonderful to see Hermione portrayed as a strong woman of color who has worked hard to find her place in the world on her own merit, and not because she’s famous for being Harry’s friend.

Oh, and those “new connections” I mentioned? Those are super well written, too. And I don’t just mean the smut, although there’s plenty of that. Harry and Hermione get to know each other as adults, away from the pressures of defeating a Dark Lord and it’s so much better than that sorry excuse for an epilogue we got in canon.

If this sounds up your alley, let me also tell you that there’s a fantastic companion piece, The Minister, which is a riveting work in progress—and also one of the best stories I’ve read showing the evolution of Harry post-Hogwarts.

What’s your favorite HP pairing? Let us know in the comments below!