Why Harry Potter Fanfiction is So Controversial Right Now

With three HP-inspired fics making their traditional publishing debut, 2025 is undoubtedly the year of Dramione (aka. Draco + Hermione). But many are questioning how these books change—or uphold—JK Rowling's tainted legacy.

2025 Was All About Dramione

This year, three romantasy novels hit bookstore shelves: Julie Soto's Rose in Chains, Brigitte Knightley's The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy, and SenLinYu's Alchemised. All of these books have one big thing in common—they were adapted from Harry Potter fanfiction that featured the fan-favorite romantic pairing of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. The books had renamed their characters and changed enough details that they were legally distinct from JK Rowling's works, but the inspiration material is unmistakable.

While the characters do not have a romantic relationship in the Harry Potter books, fan circles have long paired the studious and principled heroine Hermione with the dark and angry villain, Draco. Fanfiction readers love a good villain redemption arc—even when that villain is the magical world's equivalent of a white supremacist.

Rowling's Tarnished Reputation Brings Backlash

Readers were notably divided on the releases, and social discourse about the books was split between excitement and anger. These books brought up a new controversial question: can you support Harry Potter fanfiction without supporting its creator, known transphobe JK Rowling?

Since 2020, JK has been on a vicious crusade against trans people, even using her Harry Potter wealth to fund a major anti-trans court case in the United Kingdom. She has even turned her hate towards the asexual community and cis female athletes Barbra Banda and Imane Khelif—both women of color. So when these books began to stir up discussions about the Harry Potter franchise, many trans people and trans allies were concerned. The question was simple: Will buying these books indirectly support Rowling and her bigotry campaign?

Simple Question, Complicated Answers

The first thing that's important to note in this discussion is that none of these books—or their authors—are associated with JK. There is no reason to believe that any of their earnings would ever directly reach her. But what about indirectly? That's where the answer gets tricky.

Trans people and allies have pointed out that there are several ways that these books ultimately support the Harry Potter franchise as a whole:

| 1 | The popularity of these books shows networks, publishers, & carriers of merch that there is still a market for Harry Potter products.

At a time when there are several Harry Potter projects in the works, including an HBO TV series and a full-cast audiobook on Audible, the market is going to be looking for signals that buyers are still interested in the franchise. Every purchase of these Dramione-inspired books is likely telling these corporations that Harry Potter IP is still a hot commodity worth investing in.

| 2 | Some readers may be encouraged to pick up the original books or merch after reading the fanfics.

While it may be surprising to some, many people picking up these romantasy books aren't even fans of the original franchise. But if readers find themselves loving books like Alchemised or Rose in Chains, they may be tempted to read the originals, which would put money directly in JK's pockets.

| 3 | These adapted fanfics keep everyone's mind on Harry Potter.

These publishers aren't selling Harry Potter—but they are giving it free advertising. At one point, both The Irresistable Urge to Fall for Your Enemy and Rose in Chains were specifically advertised as "Dramione", with one ad from Ace Books actively educating readers on the Draco/Hermione pairing and directly mentioning Harry Potter.

The Other Side of the Issue

Some readers in the fandom have a different take: they say fanfiction is separate from the artist and fan spaces are crucial for marginalized writers to reclaim the art they love. Many trans fans and allies sought solace in exploring the fandom through reading or writing fanfiction, because it has been a way to participate in something they love without directly supporting a transphobe.

Julie Soto, the author of Rose in Chains, described fanfiction as "an act of resistance against the created material." Both she and fellow Dramione author Brigitte Knightley have explicitly distanced themselves from Rowling and her bigotry.

“I don’t write in the Harry Potter fandom anymore. If an idea strikes me, I might, but I don’t agree with her views and how she chooses to spend her influence and her money. I hope that through my work, people can read that we have different viewpoints on things. I appreciate anyone who doesn’t want to interact with the franchise at all anymore, and I think that’s a completely valid decision—and it’s valid if you don’t want to read any of the traditionally published books that had a start there.”

- Julie Soto (in Harper's Bazaar)

“I don’t think I can think of a single Harry Potter fanfic author that I know that isn’t clearly a trans ally or anti-TERF; we acknowledge that there’s a problem, but we’re here to play in this sandbox, reclaim these spaces. And fanfic has always been a place for more marginalized voices to play.”

- Brigitte Knightley (in Harper's Bazaar)

It's also important to note that Alchemised author SenLinYu is nonbinary themself and has a history of supporting trans causes and charities.

One More Thing: Draco is a Nazi

Beyond the Rowling discussion, there's one more problem with all this reskinned Dramione fanfiction: Draco is basically a Nazi.

In the Harry Potter books, Draco was written as a thinly veiled metaphor—the magical world's equivalent of a white supremacist. Instead of racism, he expressed bigotry toward nonmagical humans ("muggles") and their magical offspring. He believes in blood purity and throws around the slur "mudblood", often directing it at Hermione herself. Of all the characters in Harry Potter, it's a bit disturbing that this is the one publishers, authors, and fans have invested in.

While these Dramione books do their best to redeem Draco, all three start with a character who is wildly prejudiced, and both Rose in Chains and Alchemised build on a romance while Hermione is oppressed and enslaved by him. There's a fine line here between dark romance and exploitation, and many would argue that some of these books cross that line.

So What's A Fan to Do?

There are a lot of nuanced issues here, but a few steps are easy: Don't buy Harry Potter books or merch. Don't listen to the new audio books. Don't watch the TV show. Don't give JK Rowling your money or your time.

Reading fanfiction quietly in your browser probably doesn’t send any signals to corporations about what you value, but spending money on a book absolutely does. One is a personal, private experience; the other is a data point in a market that’s always watching. Writing fanfiction is its own gray area too—once you share something publicly, even for free, you’re contributing to the ongoing life of that fandom. It’s not the same as putting cash straight into Rowling’s pocket, but it does help keep the world of Harry Potter culturally alive, at least a little.

In the end, 2025’s Dramione boom kind of forces everyone to sit with the weird, messy truth: Harry Potter fanfiction exists in the long shadow of a franchise whose creator has caused serious harm. Fans will land all over the spectrum, from full boycott to guilt-free enjoyment to “it’s complicated, okay?” Loving what a story inspired doesn’t mean you have to love the person who created it. But it may be time to think hard about where you put your energy, money, and support.

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How have you reconciled your fandom love with its problematic creator? Tell us in the comments...