ŷ������

✅✅ Scorpius
�� Cottagecore/Healer Hermione
�� Daddy Draco
�� Characters and relationships
�� Slowburn romance
�� Sexual tension and some smut
�� Development of the characters
�� Plot
��(🆗) Pace (writing sometimes)

4.5 stars

The father. The son. The man.

After leaving the ministry and her rising career for health and personal reasons, Hermione devoted her time and energy to becoming a healer and building herself a nice and cozy home in the country, where she grows her plants and vegetables, takes care of her chicken, and listens to her friends whenever they need peace and come to her place. She’d been asked multiple times to come back to the ministry, but she’d had enough of their corruption and carelessness. When she takes the assignment of treating Narcissa’s degenerative disease, Hermione knows it would be hard because the type of care she provides is constant: she cooks for her patients, brews their potions, monitors them in their home, and is on call 24/7 for them. She expected to struggle with Narcissa’s strong personality, and to have tose awkward moments with Draco, but she never expected to find love and a family with them.

Measure of a Man is a healing journey for Draco and Scorpius, and it’s about finding meaning and purpose for Hermione. It’s not just a love story, it’s full of self-reflection and philosophical discussions. It might be heavy at times, but it is truly a gem once you take the time to read it. There is also action and politics in this story, as the threat of Death Eaters is still there, and the Ministry is just as corrupt as it was during the war. On top of the healer/researcher angle and the romance slowly blooming, Hermione, Draco, and the other characters have to duel with Death Eaters and fight the corruption in their government before things get worse and they end up with a third war.

This is a massive fanfiction, probably the longest I’ve read so far, but while it is very long, in the end, I felt that everything was there for a reason, and if some parts felt a little long at times, I realized that they had a reason to be there. The characters and their interactions with Hermione all serve a purpose, they are not just there to add some “mundane�� moments. Sure, they have fun together, but even in those moments when they are relaxing and enjoying themselves, for example during their girls�� night, there are still some significant conversations happening, and in the long run, it helps the plot to progress�� I am not sure if that makes sense�� I guess what I am trying to say is that while it’s a very long fanfiction, it is worth the time and energy because it is very well-written, thought-out, and developed.

Hermione is very rational and pragmatic in this fanfiction. She takes the time to analyze everything to know every possible outcome and choose the best path, whether it is about healing a patient or making a personal decision. It fits well with her intense character, but it became a little tedious near the 75% mark when she was overanalyzing everything and doubting herself and Draco. The only thing she didn’t overanalyze in this book is her relationship with Scorpius. The way he started to trust her and look for her every day, and the way she took it upon herself to help him however she could was heartwarming. Seeing her being willing to argue and fight for him, and also learning from him was perfection. Their bond is so pure and strong, it was wholesome to see the development of their relationship.

I also liked that she was so fierce and so protective of her independence. She has strong beliefs and while she is open to other points of view, she never let anyone push her around or bully her into doing something she doesn’t want to do. She is also flawed, like every human being, and she is aware of her flaws, and being aware of them and embracing them instead of hiding them and pretending they do not exist makes her a better person.

Draco is often portrayed as a character that does not believe he deserves love and happiness, and it was the case here too at the beginning, but we got to see him grow and change so much, until he realized and accepted that he deserved love and good things too.

"But what I won't do is live in a delusion of your creation and pretend that this is nothing."

Even better, once he decided that he wanted love, more specifically Hermione’s love, he was clear about it, so there was no beating around the bush forever and endless miscommunication. Their relationship felt very mature because of that and I loved it. Also, seeing Draco growing into his father’s role and all that it entails, seeing him having those “firsts�� with Scorpius and being so touched by the affection he received, and also so proud of his son was ADORABLE.

"He will be the hardest lesson you'll ever learn."

This fanfiction defines the meaning of slow burn. It was very slow, but also a realistic progression of feelings between two complex adults with a life of their own to consider. They couldn’t just jump headfirst into a relationship without any care for the possible outcome. That being said, while I loved the maturity of the characters and the fact that they took the time to think before getting involved, it felt a little repetitive to read every inner monologue of Hermione while she was trying to fight her attraction to Draco, and later on when she was trying to figure out if she was willing to give her 100% to this relationship.

There is also some smut, but while being explicit, it’s not the spiciest I’ve read. It’s just enough to keep things sexy and to have the satisfaction of seeing this sexual tension finally go away, but it doesn’t detract from the plot.

"Thank you for choosing me."

Scorpius was the cutest, most adorable, and precious little boy ever in this fiction. How can we not fall hopelessly in love with him, his kindness, and his pure heart? Even better than Scorpius, was seeing Scorpius interacting with Hermione, and Scorpius becoming friends with Albus. I had an inkling since the first time we saw Albus that the two boys would become friends, but having Hermione organize playdates between the two was just too cute.

Honestly, this fiction is as cute and heartwarming as it is intense and deep. I highly recommend it to any Dramione fan looking for a slow-burn romance with amazing and wholesome characters and an elaborate plot, and also with enough time and energy to read over 2,000 pages.


🙂