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Chapter Text

Here’s the thing. 

Draco knows his feelings for Harry Potter will lead to naught. There is a slim chance someone like him would ever look Draco’s way. 

The older was the son of the Dark Lord, James Potter, and his wife, Lily Potter. The Potters were the most famous and powerful family in the Wizarding World, with James ruling the Britain Wizarding World since the defeat of Voldemort. James Potter’s reign was loved by his citizens, who believed wholeheartedly that everything he did was for the greater good. In extension, they also believed that his son would follow in his father’s footsteps. He was already named as his heir and would take over when James died or passed on the throne, whichever came first. 

Draco, on the other hand? He was a nobody at best and an enemy of the wizarding world at worst. His father died in the war as one of Voldemort’s high-ranking officials, tarnishing his last name permanently. The Malfoys had been wealthy for centuries but his father had foolishly spent all of it on supporting the broken cause of his failed master. His mother, who was born a Black, was disowned by her cousin, Sirius Black when the war ended, erasing her from the family’s tapestry. That left two depleted vaults and a dishonorable last name for Draco to inherit. 

However, his mum, still proud and with the arrogance that only a born aristocrat possessed, refused to follow other disgraced families and change their last names. 

She would tell him, “We have nothing to be ashamed of, and don’t you ever forget that. Your father’s foolish mistakes are not ours and will never be ours. We will live with the last name because it’s your history Draco. Before your idiot father decided to be a mere follower, the Malfoy name was esteemed and part of the high society. I refuse to let it die on account of your father’s thoughtless decisions.” 

This forced his mother to take Draco to live in the muggle world for a while so they would stop getting harassed on the streets. From the time he was 2 up until his 10th birthday, his mum settled in the muggle world. He loved the muggle world, he loved the greasy food, the cool electronics, the animations, and the fashion. Even after his mum them back to the wizarding world, he kept all his muggle appliances and he only listened to the muggle music. The Weird Sisters had nothing on the Spice Girls. 

Yet, he knew who Harry Potter was before he even met him. He heard people talk about the Potter family all the time, and he saw them in many articles, in the news, photos of them adorned shops, and it was like no matter where he went, everyone adored them. They adored how courageous, how noble, how honest, how amazing, and how perfect they were. 

The first time he ever saw Harry in real life was when Draco was 11, boarding the train to Hogwarts. He’d only been reintroduced to the wizarding world for a year, so he was nervous about living away from his mum and being thrust into a new world. His mother had fretted over it the entire summer, telling him how to behave and how to look for friends. 

Draco was standing idly with his mother and nodding at his mother’s words as she worried over him. He didn’t like looking at people as he could see the displeasure in people’s expressions when they recognized his mother. Over a decade had passed since the Great War, and society still treated his mum and him as if they were plotting the next rise of Voldemort. 

For a minute though, Draco looked up and darted his eyes around to take in the surroundings, curiosity clear. That’s when he saw Hary Potter with his parents and two siblings flanked at his sides, house elves carrying two huge suitcases, a tall and lean man behind his father, and Aurors protectively surrounding the family. People around them were staring at the group with reverence and splitting in the middle to let them through. 

Draco felt the powerful aura around Harry Potter, and could only stare in awe. For a split second, they made eye contact, green piercing eyes meeting his gentle blue-grey ones. Immediately, his cheeks turned into a pretty blush before he went back to looking down. 

“Mother,” Draco nudged her. “Who is that group of people over there, the one with the Aurors walking with them?” His mother looked around before she settled her eyes on the Potter family. 

“That’s the Potter family and my cousin Sirius, my dear,” Narcissa answered, still looking at the family. Then she bent down and cupped her hands around his face. “Now, listen to me very carefully. Even if you ignore all of my advice, you must listen to this one. Avoid Harry Potter at all costs, do you understand? Don’t make friends or enemies or even mere acquaintances with him. If you see that he’s walking the same as you, you take a different route. If you make accidental eye contact, you look away immediately. You will notice a lot of students wanting to be his friend or vying for his attention, but do not follow that herd, do you understand?”

He nodded, but that didn’t stop him from being curious about the older boy. When they arrived at Hogwarts, Draco found out that Harry was in his second year and he was a Gryffindor, like his parents were. That made him want to be in Gryffindor, despite his own family’s long history of being Slytherin. When the sorting hat put him in Ravenclaw, he almost pouted in disappointment.

Just like his mum predicted, Harry was the most popular and powerful student. Although he was merely 12, the 7th-year girls would bat their eyelashes prettily at him, making Draco want to vomit. The older boys would never dare bully him or address him in the wrong tone, rather they groveled at his feet just like everyone, and even the professors accommodated his every wish with a snap of his fingers. This groveling only grew as the years passed. Draco noticed that pretty girls and guys alike were by his side any chance they could be, competing for a smile or even a small nod. Everyone knew Harry Potter liked to date around, but none of his relationships lasted beyond a month or two. Whoever stole his heart permanently would be in a position of power surrounded by wealth immediately, just like how Lily Potter was, and who wouldn’t want that?

But it wasn’t the fame, wealth, and power that made Draco like him, it was Harry that caught his heart. Harry who had an insatiable sweet tooth, was stern and angry when needed but charming and kind otherwise, and was wicked good on his broom, being the youngest seeker in the history of the school. 

Draco’s small crush didn’t go away after his first year as he had hoped, instead, it evolved as he continued attending Hogwarts and saw glimpses of the heir. In his second year, Draco developed a worrisome habit of trying to be near him as much as he could and as stealthily as possible. He would sit on the side of the Ravenclaw table that showed the perfect view of him, choose tables in the library that were close enough to hear him talk but not enough to raise suspicions, and even watch the Gryffindor’s quidditch practice from afar, pretending to read a book.

Draco’s third year had been when his crush on Harry turned into something more mature. His mother had noticed his solemn mood during the winter holidays but no matter how hard she poked, he wouldn’t tell her. That was the year Harry had started to date around, whether he was looking for his consort or having fun, no one knew. 

The first girl he publically dated had been a fourth year like him, pretty with plump lips and blonde hair soft as silk. Draco would stare in jealousy as Harry confidently showered her with flowers and chocolates in the Great Hall. But, the relationship was over by the new year, and Draco’s mum was pleased when he returned to his usual self. 

Draco’s fourth year went pretty much the same, focusing on Harry and his studies alike. Harry continued dating, making him wallow in pity parties and studying his sadness away. By his fifth year, Harry had already stood at 6 feet tall with muscles in all the right places. The public seemed to adore him more than ever, and so did the people around him. 

But, as Draco watched him, he could tell that Harry never let anyone inside his inner circle easily. At the innermost, there were Hermione and Ron, his two best friends that knew him the best. Then, there were the rest of his Gryffindor mates, people that he talked to and were friends with, but never with the same intimacy as the other two. However, they didn’t care, being in Harry Potter’s circle was the best thing that could happen to a student. It meant they were untouchable. 

Now, Draco was in his fifth year and his crush on Harry was no longer a crush, but something deeper he couldn’t put his finger on. It was like he needed to be with Harry. Every time he closed his eyes or drifted off to daydream, all he thought about was him. He and his striking green eyes, his messy but magnetic hair, his skin that would look tanned next to Draco’s alabaster skin, and his charming smile that could melt the sun.  

His mother’s warning from his first year was useless, Draco thought forlornly as he stole glimpses at the Gryffindor from his table. As usual, Hermione and Ron were by his side, animatedly arguing with each other as Harry stared at them with an amused smile.

“Draco, you ought to stop playing with your food,” a wispy voice said next to him. “If you keep staring at him, you might encourage your nargles to join his.”

Draco sighed, “My nargles are just fine where they are, Luna. And, I wasn’t staring at him! I was looking for Professor Snape, I need to talk to him about the potion I brewed yesterday.” 

Unlike Harry, Draco blended in the background most of the time, and by his second year, the taunting lessened when they realized his bullies wouldn’t get a reaction out of him. His only friend was Luna Lovegood, who was an outsider herself for her oddness. But, they were the perfect blonde and blond duo. 

They met as first years when Luna sat next to him at breakfast and extended a hand of friendship, which Draco enthusiastically took. She was weird, he quickly came to learn, but he never judged her. His best friend was a bright light in his rather mundane world, taking him to picnics and exploring the huge castle together. She was equally as smart as he was too, oftentimes they boasted the highest marks in their years, and sometimes even the whole school, only trailing behind Hermione.

They spent summers at home together, switching from helping his mother with her gardens in their little cottage and helping her father look for creatures. 

“Oh, did you suddenly change your favorite pastime without me knowing, Draco?” Luna teased. “It’s been the same for 5 years, what changed?” 

Draco showed him his middle finger, something he had learned from his days in the muggle world. She merely laughed and tried to spoonfeed him her grits.

“Oi, you blondies,” Anthony Goldstein said out to them from several seats down. “We don’t want to see you kooks spoonfeeding each other, it’s making our food come up from our stomachs.” The rest of the table laughed at them, making Draco’s cheeks burn in embarrassment but Luna’s eye twitched a little, a sign of annoyance. 

Goldstein was a regular tormentor of Draco's. He made small comments nearly every time he saw him and would even send small hexes his way at times. It was all very juvenile and annoying for Draco, but the older boy just wouldn't leave him alone. 

“Anthony, has your friends never shown you love before?” she asked in her airy voice. “I understand if you’ve never known the warmth of a friend but don’t take it out on Draco and me.” 

Draco pinched his nose bridge, he didn’t want Luna to antagonize Goldstein, he had the temper of a small kneazle and the brain of a pygmy puff.  He sometimes wondered how he was sorted in Ravenclaw. He nudged her and gave her a meaningful look but she simply shrugged. 

“What did you say to me, Loony?” Goldstein was now making over to their seats. When he stood in front of them, Luna stood up as well, making Draco cringe because he had to stand up too. 

“I always wondered how you were sorted into Ravenclaw, Anthony,” Luna pressed on with a smile that seemed sweet but Draco knew it had annoyance in it as well. “It never made sense to me, and even made me question the sorting hat. I often sit and wonder, indeed.” 

Draco’s eyes widened as his best friend’s words registered in his brain. Luna had never been one to lose her cool or snark back, choosing to ignore the insults thrown at them. 

Goldstein let out a humorless chuckle. “Do you think your little pathetic insults will get to me, Loony?” he sneered. “When you’re friends with a death eater whore like Malfoy here?” Goldstein turned his attention to Draco, who was now trying not to panic and trying to drag Luna out of this argument. He barely registered how the nearby tables had begun to listen to their exchange. 

“I heard your mother escaped Azkaban because she whored herself to the entire Wizengamot, Malfoy. I guess it’s true, seeing as how the apple didn’t fall far from the tree,” his ugly face mocked Draco and stared at him up and down, “I heard you like it up the ass, Malfoy. Think I could get a taste of-,” but he was cut off by a feral scream. 

Luna lunged at him, knocking him to the ground and making him hit his head harshly on the floor. “Don’t you ever talk about Draco like that, you bloody bastard,” she yelled with a ferocity he didn’t know she had. 

Draco couldn’t move as she started to take out her rings from her pockets. The rings were a gift from her father and they were made from a special silver, each depicting pretty flowers and creatures. As she put on her rings, Draco finally jumped into action, realizing she was getting ready to punch him. 

“Luna, wait a minute,” he stopped her, holding her hands in a comforting way. “He’s not worth it. Please, don’t fight because of me. Let’s just go, hmm?” 

“But Draco, he insulted you and called you a whore,” she said blankly. Draco looked around, they had the whole hall’s attention now and he could see McGonagall getting up from her seat. He gulped in fear and hoped this would not be detention for either of them. 

“I know, but it’s not worth it,” Draco whispered to her. “I’m not worth getting detention or making new enemies for.” He looked at her pleadingly and could see as she calmed down. 

“Oh, maybe I was wrong,” Goldstein scowled from his place on the ground.  “Have you been sucking on his cock get your jollies, Loony? Do you need your girlfriend to protect you, Malfoy? You're as spineless as your father was then. Don’t you feel disgraceful, coming to school with the children of the same people your father tried to kill? Or maybe you’re trying to resurrect Volde-Ugh.”

This time, Draco didn’t try to hold her back as Luna escaped his hold and started to throw punches at his face with her rings on. Draco’s vision blurred as he took in the words. He knew it was just that, words, but they were so real for him. That’s how he has been viewed since he came to Hogwarts. No matter how high his scores were or how much he loved the muggle world or even actively showed how he didn’t grow up with a father, he would never be fully accepted. 

“Ms. Lovehood, that is quite enough, we do not use violence over some insignificant arguments” McGonagall’s stern voice cut through. Draco snapped out of his haze and stared in shock as he saw Luna’s bloody rings and nose. Goldstein was on the ground, groaning and holding his face with one hand. 

“Don’t you ever talk about Draco ever again, you brute,” Luna spat at him, then turned towards the professor with a sweet smile taking over her face again, but Draco could see the menacing undertone. “I’m sorry, Professor, I got carried away. With your permission, Draco and I need to go to the infirmary. We’ll come to your office afterward and whatever punishment you have for me, I’ll happily accept it.”

McGonagall could only nod her head and Luna dragged him out of the cafeteria, linking her arms around his. Draco took one more glance at the students and thought he could vaguely see Harry Potter smirking in amusement. 

****

“All right, students, go back to your breakfast and you,” McGonagall glared down at Goldstein, “Come with me to my office.” He whimpered and followed her out, nose bleeding like a faucet from the hard punches with Luna’s rings. 

Harry sat back down in his seat and glanced back at the spot where the fight had occurred, the two blondes intrigued him. Anthony Goldstein was a prat, and everyone knew he would bully people he deemed weaker than him.

“Who were those two?” Harry asked his friends. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before.” Hermione stared at him with a look. The look she gave him when she caught him doing something she didn’t approve of or when she knew she wasn’t listening to him. 

“Harry, I’ve talked about those two at least ten times in the past two years,” she exasperated. “That was Draco Malfoy and Luna Lovegood, the two smartest kids in our school, aside from me of course.” 

“Malfoy?” he repeated. “Son of Lucius Malfoy?” Even though he wasn’t a fan of history, Harry knew who Lucius Malfoy was. Every time his father recounted stories about the war at galas or in the privacy of their own home, the name “Malfoy” was bought up almost every time. 

“Yes,” Hermione answered, not looking up from her book. “I heard his mother refused to change their last name, no one knows why though. His mum is a Black, Sirius’ cousin but she was disowned after the war.” 

“Well Lovegood seems highly protective of him,” Ron inserted. “Looks like she can throw punches too, he looked like he was bleeding all over the place.” 

“Well they are best friends, and it looks like they’re loners,” Hermione said with pity in her voice. “Honestly, I’ve never seen them with anyone else, not even other Ravenclaws. Malfoy gets bullied quite a bit from what I’ve heard.”

“I don’t feel bad for him,” Ron snorted. “I guess it’s his father’s karma for being an evil git.” Hermione’s eyes snapped up at him and a grim line formed on her lips. Harry sighed inwardly.

“What an awful thing to say, Ron,” she scolded. “His father’s mistakes aren’t his and you know it. You don’t even know who he is as a person, how can you judge him?”

“Do you think the son of someone as evil as Lucius Malfoy could be a good person?” Ron fired back. He was passionate about this topic because his family was branded as blood traitors during the war. “If given a chance he’d probably sneer and call you that word.” 

“No, he wouldn’t, Ron,” Hermione replied hotly. “Because I know for a fact that he grew up in the muggle world. If anything, he’s probably more open-minded and knowledgeable about muggle issues than anyone in this school.” 

Harry watched the argument between the two with amusement and curiosity. He didn’t particularly care for arguments, he knew his friends were just frustrated at each other because they wanted to shag the other. But, the topic of their argument ignited a flare of interest in Draco Malfoy. 

The blond, from what he could see, was quite attractive. Even if he wasn’t part of high society now, one could tell that his family was aristocratic just from looking at his face. He had the pointy haughtiness written all over his pretty little face, making him the perfect image of the upper echelon. He was exactly Harry’s type, demure, beautiful, and elegant. 

“Harry, stop that,” Hermione sighed. He blinked at her, attempting to understand what she was getting at. “Don’t go after him, Harry. Honestly, his life is already hard enough without you trying to woo him and then dumping him a month later.” 

He held his hands up defensively, “I didn’t say anything.” 

“I know you better than you know yourself,” Hermione rolled her eyes. “Just don’t go after him. He just needs a break from life and honestly, you’re not gonna help him at all.” 

Harry let out a deep chuckle, annoyed now, and leaned forward, “If you know me better than I know myself, then you’ll know that I’m not gonna listen to you and I’ll let this slide because it’s you, but don’t tell me what to do again.” Hermione raised her eyebrows, in fear or surprise, Harry didn’t know but she nodded and went back to reading her book. 

Something akin to guilt immediately flooded him. Harry knew the power he held and knew that everyone, even his friends, walked on eggshells most of the time, except for Hermione and Ron. Ron had been his friend since they met at a Ministry function when they were young and Hermione had joined them during their first year at Hogwarts.  He rarely snapped at them but he felt regretful when he did because he knew it came off as a threat rather than him merely being annoyed. 

Everyone, including adults, licked his boots anywhere he went and while it was entertaining, it was tiring as well. There were only a handful of people who hadn’t attempted to make nice with him or given him special treatment, and he found he liked that better. He didn’t want to make his best friends fear him or feel like they have to hold back on their critics. 

“I’m sorry,” Harry said after a while. “I just don’t like it when someone tells me what to do, you know that.”

Hermione paused her reading and contemplated her friend’s apology. “Harry, I’m not telling you what to do. I’m advising you, for Draco’s sake.”

“Why do you care so much?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. “You don’t know him and you’re not friends with him. Do you like him or something?” 

“Oh my god, no!” Hermione exclaimed, turning several heads towards their way. She lowered her voice, “I just feel bad for him. I know you Harry, and he’s exactly your type. But, I also know you’re not going to get serious and that’s just going to break his heart because I know, like the rest of your lovers, he’ll fall for you. But, Draco is fragile and he’s been through a lot of shit. I told you, he gets bullied and he doesn’t need you to go in to make things harder for him. He’s not like the other people you get involved with, Harry. He’s not rich or part of high society. Imagine what would happen to him if people heard he was your lover. Things would just get worse for him after you break up with him.” 

Harry ran his fingers through his hair. “How do you know all of that?”

“Observing him and just from what I’ve heard throughout the years, people love talking about him behind his back,” she said as shook her head. “I’m not demanding you leave him alone but just think about that before you decide to play your game with him. I know you can be selfish, but you’re a good person, Harry.” 

He nodded. Hermione was never one to meddle in his relationships, she would shake her head or give him looks from time to time but she never said anything. She must’ve felt strongly about him, enough to make her opinion known, at the least. 

“Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” he smiled at her. 

Chapter Text

Minerva McGonagall was always fair to her students, she never exempted anyone from punishment or favored anyone. She was the only adult in the school who would discipline Harry Potter and his gang of friends when they caused trouble. Glaring at them from her mighty seat and giving them a hard scolding and detention. That aspect made her loved and respected by her students and peers alike. 

So when Draco Malfoy and Luna Lovegood, two of the brightest and most rule-abiding students in Hogwarts were caught up in a physical fight, she was more than distressed. She would never say it, but she favored those two out of all the students. Perhaps it was her guilty conscience gnawing at her for not being able to protect the two blondes from the taunts and jeers but she wanted them to succeed extraordinarily. She wanted them to show everyone who doubted them that beyond weirdness and ugly family pasts, they were capable of being anything they set their mind to. She did not want to send them to detention. 

“Ms. Lovegood and Mr. Malfoy, I must say I am rather disappointed and shocked at your behavior this morning,” McGonagall started. “Mr. Goldstein’s nose was nearly broken beyond repair, Ms. Lovegood. I am aware that you were provoked, however, violence is not the answer at Hogwarts.”

Draco winced and looked down at his shoes, trying not to let his nervousness show. He had never been in trouble before, and he also especially hadn’t wanted to disappoint McGonagall. The Headmistress always looked out for him when she could, of course, it wasn’t enough, but he was still appreciative. Every time she intervened, the bullying would soften for a few days.

It wasn’t as if the bullying was so horrible he could hardly stand it, not anymore. Now it was just comments, shoving, and mocking he had to endure. When he was in his first year, he dealt with the constant tripping hexes, and once he even landed in the hospital from a nasty stupefy. The person who hit him with the spell was expelled, McGonagall was furious and used the incident as an example to warn the others. Since then, he’d noticed her cautious glances from time to time. 

Next to him, Luna was playing with her rings nonchalantly, some dried blood was still on it. Draco was quite honestly surprised at her actions earlier. She had never been violent to anyone in the past, merely trading a few biting marks with their bullies. 

“I’m sorry, Headmistress, I got carried away,” Luna said softly, anger wouldn’t do in front of her. “He was calling Draco and his mother a whore and even threatening to cause him harm. I couldn’t let him talk like that.” 

The Headmistress’ eyes widened at the revelation and urgently asked, “Did Mr. Goldstein threaten you, Mr. Malfoy?” 

Draco looked up from his shoes, quickly catching onto Luna’s angle, he nodded his head, his lips wobbling for a dramatic effect. “He did, Headmistress. It was horrible! He called me death eater whore and said he would take me up my ass,” he cried. 

“Oh my, well it seems that I’ve misread the situation,” McGonagall said, her head getting lightheaded. She would have to look after the Malfoy boy now and have a conversation with Goldstein. “I can’t let you off the hook but you will get lighter detention. Luna, you are to sort through the library for misplaced books for 3 hours every day for 2 weeks.” 

“I can help her,” Draco immediately volunteered. “She was only doing it for my sake. I should at least help her sort through the books, they’re too much for one student to handle.” 

The Headmistress placed her hands on her desk, considering the young student’s offer. “All right,” she agreed, a hint of a smile on her lips. “But, no playing around, and the minute I hear any complaints from Madam Pince, I will be separating you two.”

Nodding vigorously, the two friends were relieved that was all they were getting, considering Luna had purposefully injured a student almost beyond repair. 

“What about Goldstein, Headmistress?” Luna questioned, a tilt in her head. “What’s his punishment for insulting Draco, provoking us, and threatening to harm him?” 

McGonagall stared down at her with stormy eyes, “I will take care of him, Ms. Lovegood. Don’t fret, I will make sure he understands why threatening students is not acceptable. Now, I believe you and Mr. Malfoy have some books to sort through.” 

The two students scurried out of her office, not wanting to spend a minute more with the Headmistress. 

***

Draco rubbed his neck tiredly as he walked back to the Ravenclaw Tower with Luna. The 3 grueling hours they spent in the library were not spent sorting through the books, instead, they were told to dust through the library as much as they can. 

“Pince is so evil,” Draco complained for the nth time. His robe was covered in dust and his hair was in disarray, looking as if he was shoved into a dusty closet. “Now, I’ll have to spend my evening spelling my robes clean and trying to get this smell off me.” 

Luna giggled next to him. She was in an even worse state, her robe was paler and her face was streaked with something black, Draco didn’t want to know what it was. 

“You’re so dramatic,” she commented. “You’re good at those cleaning charms anyway, you ought to help me too.” Draco wrinkled his nose at that, Luna was much better at memorizing the correct charms and hexes. Her father had gifted her with her mother’s big collection of books for her birthday, and Luna was benefitting greatly from them. 

“It’s going to take more than ‘good at charms’ to get this back to its pristine state, Luna” he sighed. “But, fine, you can stop by my room if you want. I’ll work on it for you.”

They continued in silence before Draco hesitantly spoke up, “Luna, I need you to promise me that what happened today is a one-time thing. You can’t go around punching people for my sake, it’s just going to cost you detentions.” 

Before she could respond, they were met with a badly bruised Goldstein and his friends, 3 Ravenclaws, and 2 Gryffindors. Draco couldn’t help the fear that was creeping up his spine, sending shivers up and down his body. He noted how Goldstein’s nose was bandaged up and his face was now forming a nasty bruise, no doubt from the rings. He couldn’t help but feel that he would be paying for it one way or another. 

“What do you want, Goldstein?” Luna asked, voice light but steely at the same time. 

“You’re going to regret what you did, Loony,” he sneered, ignoring the question entirely. Luna crinkled her nose as if she was smelling something foul. 

“You’re the one with the broken nose,” she giggled humorlessly. “Get out of my way before I make sure your nose can’t be repaired again.” 

Draco thought he could see Goldstein flinch, but he recovered quickly, letting out a sinister smile. He couldn’t help but think frown unpleasantly at the expression on Goldstein’s face. He wasn’t the most handsome guy, and it made him look even uglier than he was. 

“I don’t think so,” he mocked, almost in a sing-song tone. “I’ve got 5 people with me, and we don’t want to bother you today. We just want to have a chat with Malfoy.” 

Draco’s eyes widened in fear. He had always been one of his most prominent bullies. Even before they reached Hogwarts, Goldstein had cornered him on the train and told him he was a “death eater scum”, and he was one of the bullies that never let up, even when he knew Draco was nothing like his father. 

Yet, he felt like this was more than name-callings and a few harsh shoves. It felt threatening, terrifyingly so. He grabbed Luna’s hand, anchoring himself and trying to draw strength from her. 

“I would rather get expelled for hexing the lot of you to next week than let you step a foot closer to Draco,” she snarled. Oh, what did Draco do in his past life to have a friend like Luna? “Don’t try me, Goldstein. I will make your arsehole shit out a python.” 

Now it was Anthony’s turn to widen his eyes in fear. “You can’t… you can’t do that!” He exclaimed. His friends were nervously shoveling their feet. Something about her once sweet blue eyes turning icy made them feel uneasy. 

“Do you think I read just for school purposes?” Luna sneered. “My father is nearly insane, remember? He doesn’t care what I do at home. Now get out of our sight before my hands reach my wand.” 

The group of students wavered before turning their feet away from the pair, yelling “This isn’t over!”

“About what you said earlier, Draco,” Luna said when they resumed walking. “I don’t care about detentions, I care that you’re not harassed or threatened by dimwits like Goldstein. You’re my best friend in the whole wide world, I’m not going to leave you to fend for yourself.”

Draco decided that he must’ve been a martyr in his past life, because truly, what did he do to deserve a friend like Luna? 

***

Dinner that night was more unbearable than usual. 

They didn’t eat lunch earlier that day, so skipping it was not an option. However, that left them vulnerable to stares and whispers, no doubt students were already making up weird rumors about the two. There was nothing that traveled faster than gossip in this bloody school, and Draco was miserable. 

He was pushing around his food morosely, hardly eating or drinking anything. The entire day was awful for him, and now the threat of being physically assaulted by Goldstein and his friends was looming over him. 

“Look Draco, your favorite dessert,” Luna tried to cheer him up. She pushed a bowl of banana pudding toward him. He nodded in thanks, but only managed a few spoonfuls before he pushed it away. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Luna asked in a worried tone. “Do you need to go to the infirmary?” 

“No, I’m just tired,” he said easily. Worrying Luna wasn’t what he wanted to do. He wanted to be strong for her, just as she has always been for him. It wasn’t a complete lie either, his body was protesting at the moment. “The whole cleaning thing got me sore.” 

“Let’s go, then, I’m done eating, and seeing you mope isn’t fun,” she pulled him up, not waiting for his answer or listening to his half-attempt at a protest. 

“By the way, did you notice Potter looking at our table?” She said nonchalantly as they were walking. 

“What?” He yelped. He turned around, looking at Harry’s table, and sure enough he could see his eyes following them, but turned away when he noticed Draco was looking at him. 

“Uh, it must be because of the, um, scene this morning,” he said lamely. 

“Maybe.” 

***

“We’ll never get through all of this,” Draco grumbled with a huff. They were only 30 minutes into their detention and he was already struggling. How was he going to do this for 10 more days? 

Madam Pince had strictly told him he could only use spells to clean off the dust and to reach for the books. While he wasn’t short (he’s 5’10, thank you very much), most of the shelves of the Hogwarts library were well over 15 feet tall, and inconveniently, he wasn’t very good at casting the spell to help him get to the books. Once, it took him 10 tries to get a very specific book for a Potions essay and another 10 to get it back up there when he realized it wasn’t that useful after all. 

“No one expects us to get through all of this,” Luna said lightly. “We need to do just enough to get Madam Pince off our backs, and then we won’t have to worry about the whole library.” 

Draco grunted unhappily but went back to trying to sort through the books. 

Why were people so careless? Draco thought. He always made sure the books went back to their original spot when he finished with it, it was the courteous thing to do. After several minutes, he gave up on trying to find the correct book. Surely students were charming the books into looking like another because there was no way he could be struggling at such a simple task. 

“Draco, Potter’s here,” Luna glided over to him, her voice low. Draco immediately whipped his head around, looking for him. 

“Where?” he whispered back, straining his neck to get a glimpse. Now that he was in his 5th year, Draco barely had time to follow Harry around, just catching glances at him at the Great Hall and between classes. He spent most of his time in the library, studying and doing assignments with Luna. 

He needed top marks because it was the only way to prove himself. He would be so brilliant, so intelligent, and so successful no one would ever be able to write him off. He would force everyone in the wizarding world to accept that he was brilliant, and he would make future employers clash over him. 

If his best friend wasn’t there with him, he’s sure he would pass out from studying too much. She was truly like his mum in that aspect, dragging him to eat and making sure he got out of the castle. 

Earlier that day, Luna had dragged him out of the castle after he had been studying for more than 5 hours straight. He had grumbled that a Saturday shouldn’t be wasted on such an inadequate activity, but she didn’t want to hear a word of it, merely linking their arms together and taking him to make flower crowns. 

“Over there, near the Potions shelves,” she pointed. Draco slapped her hand down with a small yelp. 

“Don’t point,” he whisper-shouted. “What if he noticed?” Luna rolled her eyes in amusement, she was sure his staring would be more noticeable than her pointing her finger at Harry. 

Nevertheless, Draco looked at the spot she had pointed, and sure enough, Harry was with his friends, joking around and laughing. He was wearing a navy jumper with some gray sweatpants, the ones that made him look like a delectable treat. Draco’s eyes softened almost immediately, he loved watching Harry with his friends. 

It’s creepy, a voice in the back of his head taunted. But, he ignored it. He could be creepy for Harry Potter, he was just looking from afar. What Harry didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. 

“Draco, take this list,” she thrust a new list in front of him, interrupting his perfect view. Draco inwardly sighed. 

“But I’m already halfway through this list,” he whined. “I don’t want to start a new one.” 

“Trust me, take this and I’ll take that one, you will thank me later,” she winked. He looked at her with a small pout, but he took the list and studied it. Luna watched him fondly as his eyes widened and his lips curved into a giddy smile, biting his lips to stop himself from smiling too widely. 

"Magical Drafts and Potions" by Arsenius Jigger

"One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi" by Phyllida Spore

"Advanced Potion-Making" by Libatius Borage

"Moste Potente Potions" by Phineas Bourne

"A Compendium of Common Potion Ingredients" by Zygmunt Budge

"The Book of Potions" by Zygmunt Budge 

"Potions: A Beginner's Guide" by Arsenius Jigger

“You can thank me later, just go for now,” she nudged him forward. Draco took a deep breath and unconsciously ran a hand over his sheer white blouse with a black top underneath and his black trousers, the muggle world was truly better at fashion. 

While the Wizarding World seemed to be on the conservative side with long robes, long trousers, and up-to-the-neck kind of blouses, the muggle world was so much more liberal and fashionable. Perhaps, his penchant for muggle fashion and dressing more freely was why people just assumed he was sexually active. 

Luna patted his bottom, making him squeak once more. He playfully scowled at her before walking over to the potions area of the library. As he walked closer, he could hear Harry and his friends talking amongst themselves, not giving a shit that Madam Pince hated noise in the library. 

Draco was determined to ignore them, he simply wanted to look for these books and bring them back to their right place. He just needed to concentrate, and ignore his rapidly beating heart and the laughter next to him. 

It didn’t take long for him to find the first book on a very high shelf. Trying to focus, he willed his mind to stop thinking and his heart to stop beating so rapidly. He whispered descendere, holding his wand with both hands and sticking his tongue out. 

Seconds later, Draco’s eyes widened in alarm when he noticed that more than several books came tumbling down, hitting him in the process. He yelped in surprise and fell, shielding himself from the books. 

“This is just so fucking great,” he muttered. Taking a moment to collect himself, he started to gather the books harshly and groaned when he realized the book he was looking for wasn’t even in the bunch that fell on him. 

In his frustration, he didn’t notice the footsteps that were approaching until they stopped in front of him. Slowly, Draco looked up, he let out a small inaudible gasp. 

“Hello,” Harry greeted. Draco blinked. His heart was pounding so rapidly that he swore anyone walking around within 10 feet could hear it. 

“Do you need any help?” Harry asked, a soft smile on his face. Draco gulped. Was Harry Potter talking to him for the first time? After 5 years of pining and drooling over the guy did he finally capture his attention? 

“Right.” Harry continued, his hands stuffed in his sweatpants. “Are you okay?” 

“I, um, I’m fine,” Draco finally let out. “Thank you…for asking.” He tried to swallow his spit, but it was dry. 

Harry flashed him a charming grin. Draco nearly let out a whimper. 

“So, do you need any help?” Harry asked again. 

“I don’t think I can accept any help,” Draco frowned, looking down at the books in his arm. “It won’t be much of a punishment then.” 

“I think it will be fine,” he said carelessly. “What’s your task, then?”

“Oh, I have to sort through these books,” Draco explained, forcing his knees not to be shaky as he stood up. “I was just trying to get Magical Drafts and Potions but my spell is wonky and these books fell on top of me. Now, I have to get these books up there and also sort books on the list.”

Harry stared at the pouting boy in front of him, taking advantage of his downcast eyes. He was significantly shorter than him, reaching just under his chin with a lithe body, and Harry couldn’t help but take a glance at his ass, his trousers hugging it snugly. His eyelashes were lush and long, his eyebrows were effortlessly arched, and his lips were red and plump from the constant biting he did. 

He inwardly groaned. How could Hermione tell him to leave him alone? He was practically waiting to be defiled, walking around in his muggle clothes. How had he not noticed him before? 

“I can help you with that if you want,” he smiled at him. Be charming, always. 

“I don’t know,” Draco shyly said. “I’m worried that Pince will double my work if she found out I had help.” 

“It’s going to be fine, she won’t find out,” Harry shrugged. 

“Okay then,” he bit his lips again. Harry’s eyes traveled down to his lips, unconsciously wetting his lips. 

Before long, he began casting wandless magic over the books picking out the books Draco wanted, putting back the books that had fallen, and finding the right places for the books. In total, it took him less than 10 minutes to get through the entire list. 

Draco stared in amazement at him, his jaw going dropping slightly. It had taken him more than 15 minutes to get through the first half of the list with a wand Harry was on a different playing field than him. 

“Thank you, it takes me so long just to get through half of a list,” he brightly smiled at Harry. 

Gorgeous, Harry thought.  

“It’s not a problem, do you have any more lists?” He asked. 

“I probably do, Luna is technically the one that’s in detention so she keeps it,” he informed. He smiled again, reaching into his trouser pockets and taking out a taffy. “Here, take this as a small thank-you gift.” 

“You just keep them in your pocket?” He asked amusedly. 

Draco blushed prettily, “Yeah, I love them and my mum sends me a jar of it every two weeks so I have plenty.” 

Harry immediately took off the wrapping and put it in his mouth, not even suspecting it might be poisoned. It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried to gift him something with a love potion. During his first year at Hogwarts, there were over 10 incidents where someone tried to poison him. After that, he refused to eat anything someone gave him, it would be a hassle to get rid of the effects of it. But somehow he trusted Draco not to tamper with the taffy.  

“Well, I should get going,” Draco said. “Thanks for the help, Harry. See you around.” He smiled and walked away. 

He was gone before Harry could properly reply, he frowned at that. Was the boy scared of him or something? Usually, people were competing for his attention, romance or otherwise. He couldn’t remember the last time someone he was flirting was left him before he could ask them on a date. 

Or, perhaps Draco wasn’t interested in him? 

Harry laughed at that ridiculous notion. Surely, no one in the Wizarding World would shy away from his attention. 

***

As the days passed, however, Harry was almost convinced that the blond was ignoring him. No matter how much he looked for a chance to talk to him again, he couldn’t find a way. 

At the Great Hall, he wasn’t there for more than 15 minutes, getting there early and leaving just as early. He could never be at the library during Draco’s detentions, instead being met with a curious Pince because of his sudden increased visits to the library. Whenever he tried to meet his eyes in the hallways, he couldn't because he was always looking down or towards something else.

Frankly, it frustrated him. This was the first time in his life he had to work so hard to talk to someone. He never had to seek people out he was the one that was sought out. But, his frustration just made him all the more determined to talk to Draco again. 

Harry silently apologized to Hermione because he was going to go after Draco Malfoy.

Chapter Text

Hogsmeade weekend came at a perfect time. After suffering in detention, Draco needed a good break. Pince had somehow found out that Harry helped him a little bit, so she was breathing down his neck like he was going to burn the library down. Fortunately, she didn’t report it to the Headmistress so they were still allowed to go to Hogsmeade. 

Without a doubt, Honeydukes was his favorite shop to visit, but Luna made it a point to make it the last shop they visit. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have time to visit other shops. By the time they made it to the candy shop, he was brimming with excitement. 

The uncountable rows of sweets and treats made Draco’s mouth water. His insatiable appetite for sweet things was his major flaw, his mum would say. When he was a child, he sneaked biscuits into his room at night, making the crumbs fall on his bed and inviting ants. It made her so irritated she was forced to put a lock in the cabinets before she went to bed. Although after his magic started showing, he would still find a way around it sometimes. 

Thankfully, the shop wasn’t too crowded. Although there were still a good number of customers, it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been in the morning. There was a line out the door, thanks to a special edition of chocolate frogs. Draco disliked it when there were too many people, he felt rushed and he hated the feeling of someone waiting for him to move. 

“Draco, stop salivating and start buying,” Luna said idly. She was holding the new books she bought about creatures and plants, Narcissa’s gardening influenced her interest in plants. “We have to go in about 40 minutes so you don’t have much time to browse.” 

Draco pouted, “And whose fault is that?” He loved Luna, but when she came in between him and his sweets, she became much more unbearable. 

She rolled her eyes in response and pointed out, “Don’t pout, it was because of me you had your first interaction with Potter. Which, may I remind you, had you swooning and happy for the past few days.”

Draco smiled sheepishly, he had been swooning like a helpless fool since the interaction with Harry on Wednesday. By the time he made it back to Luna’s side, his face was flushed and his steps were giddy, making her smile at him knowingly. He couldn’t find it in him to complain about the remaining lists, too distracted by the euphoria he was feeling 

Yet, he hadn’t seen or talked to Harry since then. He was too busy trying not to attract attention from Goldstein and his friends. It was hard for him to dodge a fellow Ravenclaw, he had to avoid staying in the common room and be mindful of where he was at all times. He didn’t leave Luna’s side that much, finding safety and comfort in her presence, and he avoided eye contact with anyone just in case it would be Goldstein. They had even opted to do their detention early in the morning or late in the evening just so they wouldn’t accidentally run into him.

When he thought about it, Draco couldn’t help but feel like he was a bad friend to Luna. Since first year, she was the one who stood up for him and now she was in a complicated situation because of him. He felt the guilt slowly gnawing at him.

“As a thank you, I’ll buy you plenty of sweets,” he said. It was the least he could do for her troubles. “Why don’t you go pick out some sweets and we’ll meet at the front in about 30 minutes?” 

She looked at him oddly, “I don’t need that long to pick out a few sweets, Draco. I’ll just pick some up on the way out.” 

“Fine,” he relented. “But, don’t blame me if you don’t have enough time to pick out your sweets.” 

Before he could see Luna’s amused smile, he went back to looking at the sweets with a serious expression. Picking sweets was not a big deal to many people, and should be the easiest task in the world because most people just chose their favorites, but not Draco. 

Draco had a method of how he bought sweets each Hogsmeade weekend. Every sweet he bought served a purpose for him. He always bought a lot of sugar quills because they made him think better. The sugar rushed into his brain and gave him new ideas and energy. 

Since it was October now, he needed sweets that would help him get into the mood for Halloween and the new season, so orange or pumpkin-flavored things were what he was looking for. However, he couldn't buy too much lest he got tired of it, so he needed to balance them out with something like toffee or saltwater taffy. It was entirely too complicated just for sweets, however, he preferred it that way. 

He continued looking at the sweets, not paying attention to his surroundings, and engrossed himself in getting his flawless sweet stash for the month. He didn’t even notice that Luna had wandered off on her own, tired of just watching him pick out his sweets.

Just as he was contemplating a few licorice wands, he was interrupted by a deep voice. “You look serious for someone who’s just buying sweets.”

Draco startled a bit, clutching his items close to his chest. He looked toward the owner of the voice and was surprised to see Harry Potter staring at him with a grin. 

“Oh, hi Harry, you scared me for a bit there,” he chuckled breathlessly. “Are you alone?” He asked. He was proud of his stable voice and knees. Inside, he was freaking out about how handsome he looked in his black trousers and brown jumper and his hair looked as fluffy as the clouds. He wanted to reach out and ruffle it so badly, but he resisted.

“Yeah, I’m on my way to the Three Broomsticks, but I wanted to buy some sweets first,” he said. 

Draco pursed his lips in consideration. Luna and he never went there. It wasn’t their kind of scene, they avoided places that were too crowded and noisy. They preferred Madam Puddifoot’s, even though the teashop was usually avoided by single people. The pair enjoyed the tea, pastries, and the talks they had. 

“I haven’t been there, I prefer Madam Puddifoot’s,” Draco responded. He was tempted to go back to browsing at the sweets, he was close to perfecting his collection for the month. But, he also wanted to talk to Harry for hours. 

Harry made a face at that, “That blasted place? It’s filled with pinks and frills, not to mention the gross amount of PDA.” 

Draco looked affronted, “Well it’s better than a noisy and packed environment, and I’m rather fond of the pink and the frills, thank you very much!” With a huff, he went back to scanning the shelf, swapping one package of chocolate frogs for another pack of sugar quills. 

Harry stared at him with amusement, feeling glad that he decided to approach the blond. He was on his way to the Three Broomsticks, but when he saw Draco through Honeyduke’s windows as he was passing by, he couldn’t resist entering the shop. His friends could wait, being a Potter came in handy when the professors could bend a little rule for him, like extending his time at Hogsmeade. 

This wasn’t the first time his newfound attraction to Draco affected his friends. Many times, he would drag them to the library under the guise of studying to catch sight of the blond, and he would simply stop listening to whatever they were saying in favor of looking for him in the Great Hall. If his friends noticed his distracted state, they didn’t comment on it. 

Truthfully, Harry was confused by what he was feeling for the blond. He couldn’t exactly say he liked him to the point of dating him, but he was also putting a lot of effort into trying to talk to him. 

“I’m sorry if I offended you,” Harry said, attempting to hold in his laugh. The blond looked like an angry white kitten, he was too adorable. “I didn’t know you held such… affinity for Madam Puddifoot’s.” 

“I can hear you desperately trying not to laugh,” he heard Draco mumble. Harry finally let out the laugh he was holding. Draco twisted his lips, trying not to show his smile. 

“I’m not laughing at you, I promise,” he assured after calming down. 

“Well, I’d hope not, you interrupted my very serious mission of buying the perfect sweets collection,” he sighed exasperatedly. 

“A mission, is it?” Harry asked with a hint of fondness.  

“Yep, it will help me throughout the month,” he nodded. “I have a whole system for it, but it’s a long process and if I could, I would spend the entire Hogsmeade weekend perfecting it.” 

“So, why don’t you?” he asked. 

“I’m here with Luna, and it’s rather impolite of me to make her spend the entire day here. We don’t get out of the grounds as is, I don’t want to hinder the time we do,” Draco said, noticing for the first time that his friend wasn’t around him. He should pay attention to his surroundings more. 

“Are you almost done then?” Harry asked, his hands mindlessly going through the packages of sweets. 

“Um, I suppose, but it doesn't matter anyway, the day is almost over,” Draco frowned. He wasn’t too satisfied with the sweets in his arms, but he wasn’t unsatisfied either. He knew it could be better, and he was nothing if not a perfectionist. 

“You could stay longer,” he suggested, hopefully. 

“I would, but I can’t. I’m already serving detention, I don’t need to extend it,” he laughed half-heartedly. Looking around the shop, he spotted Luna making her way toward the front of the shop. “Anyways, it was nice talking to you again. I’ll see you around, Harry.” With a shy but bright smile, he waved at Harry. 

Again, just like last time, before Harry could even stop him or wave goodbye, the blond was walking away from him. He almost grabbed his arms but stopped himself when he noticed there were other students around, it wouldn’t do for others to think he was pushy. 

Instead, he hurriedly grabbed a few packages of sweets and made his way to the front where he could see the two friends talking to each other. He made his way towards them. 

“Are you sure that’s all you want?” he heard Draco asking Luna. Before he could announce his arrival, however, Luna looked right at him, a shadow of a smile on her face.

“Draco, look it’s Potter,” she said airily, her voice was so gentle and soft. Draco whipped his head around, his face didn’t hide his surprise. 

Draco was growing baffled at the number of times he’s talked with the older boy in the past several days. They’ve never even made so much as accidental eye contact in the past 5 years, save for that one time at the platform, and now it was like he was talking to him every day. 

“I wanted to ask if you guys wanted to join me and my friends at the Three Broomsticks,” Harry said. 

They looked at each other, wondering why Harry Potter wanted the two loners Ravenclaws wanted to hang out with him and his friends. Luna’s mind was alert, she knew Potter’s friends wouldn’t be very keen about Draco, particularly because his father had gone after their families during the war. However, she also knew that he would want to accept Potter’s invitation, he was desperately in love with the boy after all.

It was hard watching her best friend pine 5 years for Potter, someone who was so unbelievably untouchable and desired by all. Many times, she watched as Draco would longingly stare over at the Gryffindor with a wistful sigh. When he started dating around, he had been sullen for weeks, barely making any effort to do any activities she suggested and throwing himself into work. She also knew that his insecurities increased when he saw the people he dated, all aristocratic and part of high society. 

Numerous nights, she’s consoled him as he lamented over the fact that he would never even know he existed, let alone have the chance to date him. Those nights, she felt pity for her dear friend, wanting to bundle him up in a thick blanket and hug his sadness away. 

Frankly, Luna always felt that Draco had a high chance of gaining Potter’s attention, especially after she saw a pattern in the types of people he dated, all blondes and attractive in a sharp way. Draco was undeniably gorgeous and the best part was he didn’t know it. She’s seen the looks people gave him, and she wasn’t exactly blind herself so she wasn’t surprised when Potter began paying attention to him. 

Draco might’ve not noticed because he was so concerned with Goldstein and his little friends, but Luna certainly caught the way Potter’s eyes found their way to their table and she knew he had been going to the library in hopes of talking to him again. She thought it was kind of hilarious that it took a physical fight in the Great Hall for him to notice Draco.

Though, she hadn’t told Draco about it because it would destroy him if he got his hopes up and was let down. She’d never forgive herself if she took part in hurting him. 

Nevertheless, looking at the glimmer of hope in Potter’s eyes, she figured it wouldn’t hurt Draco to be around him more.

“We’d love to join you,” she answered, a small smile on her face. She could feel Draco’s stare.

“Brilliant, I’ll just pay for these and we can walk over there,” Harry said with a broad grin on his face. Then asked, “Draco, have you paid for those?”  

That made him snap out of his bewilderment and look down at his sweets. “Oh, um, no, I was just about to,” he responded.

“I can pay for you, it’d be much faster that way,” he offered. 

“No, it's fine! You’ve already helped me quite a bit, and I’ve got some galleons left,” he said. One of the things his Mother instilled in him since he was a boy was to not be in debt, and he certainly did not want to owe favors to Harry Potter.  

“You can use the galleons at the Three Broomsticks, it’s not much,” he insisted. 

Before Draco could even blink, let alone protest some more, all the packages from his arms were deposited on the front counter along with Harry’s things. Draco stood there, once again rendered speechless by Harry’s magic, but even more by his actions. Was he being friendly or did this mean something?

He shot that thought right as it entered. Of course, it didn’t mean anything. Harry Potter would never look at him that way, it just wasn’t possible.

***

In Hogwarts, there is only one student that comes to mind when the phrase “smartest student” is said, Hermione Granger. Often called the “brightest witch of her age”, she lives up to the nickname. Her vast knowledge and her academic prowess were not rivaled by anyone. 

That could be said the same for her observant skills. It made her aware of her surroundings and she didn’t need to be told by her friends what was going on because she either somehow always knew or at least always had a hunch, a good instinct if you will. 

Yet, nothing could’ve prepared her for this particular scene in front of her, a grinning Harry approaching their usual table with Draco Malfoy and Luna Lovegood behind him. She’s not shocked per se, she took note of how Harry didn’t take her advice. She just didn’t expect him to bring the pair to their hang-out, he claimed that it was sacred and didn’t want to ruin it by letting other people “barge” in. 

Ever the great observer, she immediately noticed how Draco was looking perplexed while Luna looked like she always did, gentle but stern. Then, she noticed the amount of bags they were carrying, especially Draco, who looked like he had done a run in Honeydukes. She didn’t have much time to draw any more conclusions because the trio reached their table in a few steps. 

“Hi, guys,” Harry greeted them. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him, which he ignored effortlessly, and took a seat next to her. “This is Draco and Luna, I asked them to join us.”

“It’s nice to meet you all, I can see there are a lot of wrackspurts around here,” she said all dream-like as if she was seconds away from drifting into a fantasy land. 

“Luna, I don’t think they know what wrackspurts are,” Draco mumbled lowly. The pair were still standing, not sure where they should sit. 

“Oh, wrackspurts are little creatures that make you confused and unfocused,” she explained to the group, who was staring at her with a mixture of confused and amused expressions. Ignoring them, she pulled Draco to sit at two empty seats across from Harry and Hermione. “Draco and I used to spend our summers trying to catch them, but my father said it was futile because they were invisible, but I can sense them. It would be very nice if we managed to catch them one day.” 

“Your father runs The Quibbler, right?” Ginny asked. As Ron’s little sister, she sometimes joined them at Hogsmeade but Hermione knew it was mainly because she liked Harry. She wasn’t subtle about it either, so Hermione doesn’t understand how Harry hadn’t detected it yet. 

“Yes,” Luna responded proudly. “We try to catch the creatures sometimes, but they’re so fast. Although one time, I almost did catch a nargle in a mistletoe during Christmas.” 

Hermione looked at her, “But, they’re not real.” 

She frowned at that, about to say something but Draco beat her to it. “I was there, if you blink too fast, you miss it but they’re there,” he said. Hermione didn’t know what to say to that, instead, she just nodded. 

The rest of the group looked uneasy at the duo’s arrival, a given since no one new has joined them since they formed their little group. The awkwardness lingered in the air for five seconds before she couldn’t take it anymore. 

“So where did you guys come from?” She asked conversationally. 

“Honeydukes,” Draco responded, mindlessly playing with the hem of his sweater. She gave him a once-over. She was surprised to see him wearing a complete muggle outfit under his robes, jeans with a bell-sleeved jumper that went up to his neck. He looked elegant but warm at the same time. 

“All those bags?” She heard Neville ask. 

“Yes, my mum sends me extra galleons for a run at Honeydukes.” He smiled softly, and truly, Hermione understood Harry’s sudden attraction to him. “Harry paid for me today, so I’m saving those galleons for some new books next time.” 

The group looked at each other in bafflement, including Hermione. By no means was Harry cheap, he was filthy rich and between their group, he paid for things more often than not. But, he never went out of his way to pay for a random student. He didn’t even do that for any of his exes, he just bought them what he wanted and gave it to them. 

“He actually paid for it?” Ron asked loudly. 

“Uh, yes, he did,” Draco responded, uneasiness showing on his face. “We ran into each other at Honeydukes, and he offered.” 

“It’s not a big deal, Ron,” Harry intervened, there was a slight edge in his voice. Ron looked like he wanted to say something else but thought better of it and shrugged. Silence lingered in the air between the group, not sure how to respond, or even if they should.

Sensing her friend’s tensed body, Luna abruptly stood up, “Well, it was nice meeting you all, but we have to get going. Potter, thank you for inviting us. See you around.” 

Draco grabbed his bags and stood up. His pretty brain was in a whirlwind, not sure why there was a thick tension between the group. 

“Thank you for the sweets, Harry,” he said, a thankful smile gracing his face. “I’ll give you a taffy if we run into each other again.” Then, he waved at everyone before taking off with Luna, her hands clasped around his in a comforting manner. 

“Thanks a lot, Ron,” Hary grumbled, annoyance clear on his face. “It took me days just to talk to him again and now you’ve gone and scared him off.”

Ron held his hands up in a defensive manner. “Hey if you wanted to shag Draco Malfoy, you should've told me. I didn’t know!” He squeaked. 

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” Harry said indignantly. “And shove off, don’t go around bothering him or something.” 

“Are you sure someone like Draco Malfoy is who you want to be seen with?” Ginny piped in. Hermione could see an undertone of anger in her eyes. 

“What do you mean?” Harry asked with furrowed eyebrows. 

“Well, he’s a Malfoy. You know his father was a Death Eater and now their name is completely disgraced,” she replied. 

“What is wrong with you?” Hermione yelped before Harry could even open her mouth. “He’s a stellar student. I’ll say he’s better than the complete airheads Harry has gone for in the past.” 

“Is that it then? His academic abilities are what makes him worthy of being seen with Harry?” The redhead asked hotly. 

“No, I’m saying Draco isn’t any less worthy of being seen with Harry just because he’s a Malfoy, and his brilliance is just the cherry on top,” she replied, voice fierce.  

“But, doesn’t it bother you that he’s a Malfoy? He could be against muggle-borns and believe in that blood-purity shite,” Neville said. 

Hermione deadpanned, “Why would he be against muggle-borns when he grew up in the muggle world? Seriously, it’s like you guys want him to be evil.”

“Why are you defending him so much?” Ron asked with suspicion. “Do you fancy him or something?”

“No! I don’t!” she loudly protested. “I just think it’s absurd that you’re forming a completely false opinion of him when you don’t even know anything about him. I’m convinced he’s more accepting of muggle traditions and other things than you lot.” 

“Hey, that’s not fair! Most of us are half-bloods here,” Dean argued. 

“So? Look, I’m not saying you have to like him, but at least stop treating him like he’s the next coming of Voldemort. He looked petrified, no thanks to the warm welcomes here,” she said passionately. 

Hermione has never talked to Draco before, let alone know him enough to defend his honor, but something about the way the other students treated him bothered her. It was tempting to unleash a lecture on the other students, but when her friends were the ones who gossiped behind his back, it irked her more than anything. She knew Draco was innocent of all the absurd accusations that were thrown at him and the gossip that ran behind his back. 

His father’s vile acts were documented in books written about the war, and along with it the names of his wife and child. But, Hermione knew he was far from being anything like Lucius Malfoy. He kept up with muggle fashion trends and their music and knew more about them than anyone. She saw it in the way he dressed, and the songs he sang loud enough for her to hear at the library.

It was completely unfair, in Hermione’s opinion, he didn’t get to meet his father so how can he be anything like him? 

“Fine, let’s say that he’s not into the Death Eater things like his dad was, what about the other rumors?” Ginny’s eyes flashed with a hint of triumph. 

“If you listen to rumors, then Harry would’ve had a wife and child by now, Ginny,” Hermione replied. 

Her cheeks reddened, “I’m just saying it must hold some kind of truth. You see how he dresses, it’s inappropriate .” 

She raised her eyebrows, “He’s just wearing muggle fashion. I would know because I am a muggle-born and am in touch with the muggle world. Are you saying the way muggles dress is inappropriate?” 

Ginny let out a small groan, “You know that’s not what I meant.” 

“What rumors are you guys talking about?” Harry asked. 

“Nothing,” she responded, glaring at Ginny. “It’s just baseless rumors.” 

“It’s not nothing!” Ginny exclaimed. “If Harry wants to date Malfoy then he should know the kind of rumours surrounding him.” 

“I didn’t say I wanted to date him,” Harry denied. “But, what rumors are you talking about?” 

Hermione resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This was a complete waste of her time, sitting around the Three Broomsticks to discuss petty schoolyard gossip that probably wasn’t true anyway. 

“Well, one is that he’s a total slag,” she continued crudely. “I’ve heard that he’s made his way around the Ravenclaws and he’s setting his eyes on the Slytherins, guess he wants to go back to his roots.” She had an unkind smile. 

“Oh piss off, Ginny,” Hermione snarled, tired of the complete lack of empathy. “You know those are just rumors and probably not true at all. Have you seen Draco Malfoy? Who wouldn’t want to say they’ve gotten in bed with him? He’s bloody gorgeous.” 

Harry let out a small sound of support at that. 

“How do you know it’s not true, then?” Seamus asked. Hermione let out a loud suffering sigh, closing her eyes and trying to draw the small amount of patience she had left. 

“Because, unlike you lot, I’ve got a brain bigger than the size of a knut,” she snapped. Then, she picked up her bags from the floor, utterly irritated. “Now, if you would all excuse me, I don’t intend to spend my evening gossiping about Draco Malfoy. I’ll see you back at the castle.” 

Leaving behind her stunned friends, she stormed out. 

***

Knowing the evening was ruined, the group headed back to Hogwarts. Harry walked behind his friends, contemplating what Ginny said about Draco. Despite understanding his friends’ concerns, he didn’t mind that Draco was a Malfoy. He wasn’t anything like his father, who James described as “the most arrogant git with an evil streak.” He couldn’t imagine Draco hurting a fly. 

He also didn’t care what the gossip was around him, those were usually exaggerated or completely false. If there was a rumor that Draco was a slut, then he was probably caught snogging someone and it snowballed or someone just wanted to be hateful. 

“You’re not serious about Malfoy, are you?” he heard a cautious voice ask. He turned to see that it was Ginny. 

He shrugged. “It’s none of your business,” he said simply. 

It grated on his nerves that she cared so much about the possibility of him dating Draco. She wasn’t Hermione, who he regarded as a sister and whose opinion mattered to him. She was just his best mate’s little sister that tagged along sometimes. 

He’ll admit, they’ve snogged a couple of times and had sex once. At the time he was on the high of winning the Quidditch Cup, and she was there, so willing and seducing. But, he wasn’t interested in her, if he dated everyone he snogged or had sex with, he’d have at least 20 exes by now. 

She huffed in response, “Whatever, Harry. Just don’t do something dumb, I guess.” 

He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do. If I want to date Draco, I will. I certainly don’t need your permission or approval,” he warned. She nodded grimly before walking ahead of him too.

Harry walked leisurely, favoring to take in the stillness and the October air. It was still warm but there was a chill in the air that didn’t exist until a few days ago. He loved October, it was the best month of the year. He loved the weather and the ambiance of the month, and he looked forward to the massive Halloween party the Hufflepuffs liked to throw. But the best part of October was the annual gala his parents hosted. 

To commemorate the defeat of Voldemort, his parents hosted a huge gala at their manor on the last day of October. His mum planned for it year-round, coming up with the perfect theme, decorations, food, and entertainment took months and the execution took even longer. The press was invited, food and drinks never stopped flowing, and it was a great way to show the Potters’ influence and power. Harry loved it, it made him feel like the heir of his father’s lordship, away from the childish things at Hogwarts and towards more mature things. 

This year, the guest list was Harry’s job. His parents trusted him with it, and all the invitations had already gone out by the first of August. The guest list was sentimental and elite; he invited friends and family but also important people in the Wizarding World as a whole, and no one declined their invitation. 

Every year since they’d met, he’d taken Hermione as his plus one, it was fun for her and necessary for him. It stopped anyone from batting their eyelashes or subtly hinting that they’d love to go as his date. Even when he began dating around, he never took his exes because he didn’t take them seriously. 

Not to mention, his dating life was the number one topic in Witch Weekly, and he did not need the magazine to speculate on his date every year. He remembered his horror when the magazine published photos of his first girlfriend and him on their date. He had been livid and ordered the magazine to retract every issue they sold. He didn’t mind the mindless reports about his relationship status but it was a tad bit too far to stalk him. 

For this year’s gala, he already brought a pretty emerald silk dress with sage green robes for Hermione to wear. But, as he passed by a tailor shop showcasing the most regal and elegant silver robes, silver eyes belonging to a certain blond came to his mind. He stopped to stare at it and imagined how beautiful Draco would look wearing them.

In a split-second decision, he went into the store.

Chapter Text

In the furthermost part of Harry’s trunk, he used to stash those filthy muggle magazines Dean and Seamus sneak to him. The magazines with the nearly topless women and the desires of every hormonal teenage boy are displayed on every page. Harry appreciates magazines. The wizarding world isn’t exactly the most progressive part of the world, and as such, the wanking material was abysmal. 

That part of his trunk no longer has those magazines, and now houses the silver robe he brought during Hogsmeade weekend. 

When he saw the silver robe, he felt the urge to buy it. He’s not one for impulse purchases, the last item he bought on impulse was a gorgeous, sleek black muggle car that he saw on his telly. His mum was so mad she made him return it and forbade him from watching any telly for months. He was 13 then. 

The silver robe doesn’t feel like much of an impulse buy, it’s a robe with pretty and intricate stitchings all over it, the front shimmering under the sunlight, and there was a muggle touch to it with no charm work. It was done with hands, no charm work, and that made it both special and expensive. Of course, he didn’t need to hide it, he could simply say he thought it was pretty and he might like to wear it someday, but that would be unbelievable to everyone around him as he always wore black or deep maroon-colored robes, nothing else. 

He also knew the robes weren’t for him anyway. He bought it thinking of one Ravenclaw in mind, Draco. He didn’t know why, either. When he reached the castle, 30 minutes later than his friends, he immediately went to his dorm and hid it as if it were a prized possession. 

He honestly didn’t know why he decided to buy the robe. Harry has had many lovers, and enough exes to make his siblings gleefully cackle for days and his parents wrinkle their noses in distaste. However, he’s never been quite taken by someone as much as he was with Draco. Somehow, he was just different. 

He’ll confess that he just thought he was a pretty face at first, wanting to flirt and give him all his attention for a few weeks and then dump him. But, now, he’s not so sure he could do that. The worst thing was, he’s only talked to him twice. Not only did the blond invade his thoughts often, but he was also seeking him out like a snitch at a quidditch game.

He just didn’t know how to deal with his feelings or even know what it was he was feeling. He didn’t even know what he wanted from Draco. All he knew was he wanted to be around him, kiss him, shag him, and romance him but he wasn’t sure what he wanted after that. 

A real relationship? A proper courtship? A few shags and then done? A date for the gala? 

The endless possibilities were swimming in his mind, making him deeply frown and think. He decided that he needed to spend more time with Draco to make up his mind. He needed to test his feelings and how Draco responded to him. 

With that in mind, he found himself lurking in front of the Potions classroom one cloudy afternoon. It wasn’t hard to figure out what times the 5th-year Ravenclaws had their classes, and he knew he would never be able to get ahold of the blonde if he didn’t accost him after one of his classes. 

He’s been standing outside for the past 10 minutes, his bag slung over his shoulders, and students giving him glances as they passed him. His friends left with exasperated looks that he disregarded, not caring one bit that this was out of character for him. He was tired of not knowing what he wanted. 

After a couple of minutes, students began piling out of the classroom. Harry waited impatiently, keeping his eye out for Draco. His lips turned into a smile when he saw him coming out with Lovegood, animatedly talking to her about something. 

Just like last time, he approached them in silence and tapped his shoulders. The blond turned around, eyes widening when he saw Harry. 

“Hi, Harry,” he greeted breathlessly. Draco’s heart was painfully throbbing, an immediate side effect of being so close to the older boy. 

“Hi, Draco,” Harry grinned impishly. “Would you mind joining me for a walk later?” 

Draco looked at Luna, wanting some guidance, but his best friend just stared back at him, a glint of confusion in her eyes. He was still very confused by Harry’s actions. Just when he was coping with his impossible feelings for the black-haired boy, he suddenly barged into his life without so much as a warning. He thought he was making tiny progress with de-escalating his infatuation for him, he no longer followed him around discreetly or thought about him every waking moment. But, it was clear from the past week that he was back to square one. 

He constantly thought about Harry again and sought him out in places he thought he’d be there. He didn’t stalk him like he used to, but that wasn’t much progress because now it seemed like it was Harry who was seeking Draco out. 

At least, that’s what Luna had told him. He waved it off with an unbelieving scoff and simply told her it was a coincidence. Which triggered a rant from her about how nothing was a coincidence. 

“Uh, I…I’m not... I mean sure,” he stuttered at last. He hugged his books tightly against his chest, offering Harry a shy smile. 

“Great, we can go after dinner, yeah? See you!” Before Draco could agree, he was turning around and walking away. 

“That was… unexpected,” Luna commented. She dragged him away, still dazed and a blush was forming on his cheeks. 

***

Draco was buzzing with nervous energy, but he was extremely excited. He ate his apple crumble with vigor. The sweet dessert calmed his nerves, the elves of Hogwarts made some of the best desserts he ever had. His mum was a great cook but deeply lacked in the dessert department. Her custards never looked right, and most of her puddings lacked sweetness. 

Since the second Harry walked away from him earlier that day, he was brimming with anxiety, not sure how to expel it, so he naturally tried to soothe himself by consuming as many sweets as he could. He felt more relaxed at the moment, but looking over at the Gryffindor table, he felt the anxiety slowly come back. 

Harry was being his usual self, talking avidly with his friends and laughing. Draco’s brows furrowed when he noticed how close Ginny Weasley was to him, it was subtle with touches here and there. He didn’t know anything about the girl, except that they were in the same year, she was Ron’s younger sister, and, she liked Harry. 

He wasn’t the best at reading people, but his smarts didn’t just stop at books. Throughout the years, she was around him constantly, and last week at the Three Broomsticks, she was eyeing him like he was a lollipop. It unnerved him, he didn’t want another love rival to make him more insecure. He wanted to leave his feelings for Harry at the door of the castle, and never retrieve it. 

“Draco, do you want more apple crumble?” Luna tapped his arms. 

He snapped out of his unpleasant reverie, paying attention to his friend’s question. She was slowly pushing her plate of dessert, still untouched and looking delicious. 

“Thank you, Luna,” Draco accepted her plate. “I’m just nervous,” he said around a mouthful of the delicious treat. 

“About your walk?” Luna asked. He nodded. “Why?”

“I just don’t know what to expect. I’ve never been popular with other students, and well, I just don’t know what to do?” He shoved two more spoonfuls, desperately needing the sweetness to trick his brain into being calm and deciding to forget about the girl-Weasley’s advancements towards Harry. 

“You’re such a charmer, Draco, you don’t need to worry,” she replied happily. “Besides, I have a feeling that Potter won’t make you feel uncomfortable.” 

He hummed uncommittedly. He’s sure she’s being biased, there was nothing remotely special about him, even if his mum and Luna always told him so. The only thing that was unique about him was his family’s history (which wasn’t a plus) and his intelligence, he suppose.  

“Why do you call him ‘Potter’?” He decided to ask instead, not wanting her to launch into another “self-love” rant.

“I don’t know, it’s more practical, I guess,” she responded. “It’s not because I don’t like him or anything of course, and he doesn’t mind.”

Draco didn’t know what to say. Luna was a friendly person, even to people who harassed her, she always offered a gentle smile with a soft voice, except for Goldstein. So, it shocked him a bit that she referred to Harry by his last name. 

“Oh look, he’s coming our way again, reminds me of a similar scene last weekend,” Luna nonchalantly stated. Draco didn’t even have the nerve to raise his head, mindlessly focusing on the last bits of his dessert instead. His heartbeat was rising rapidly, making him slightly wince at the feeling. 

“Hello, Draco,” he heard Harry greet. He gathered the last of his courage and forced himself to calm down. 

“Hi, Harry,” he smiled gently. He could feel gazes falling onto the two of them, curious as to why Harry Potter was talking to Draco Malfoy. He ignored them, they didn’t matter, not when Harry was looking at him with his deep green eyes, he felt hypnotized by them. 

“Are you done? I was thinking we could go on that walk now,” he said. Draco stood up from the table and grabbed his bag. 

“Yes, of course, I’m done,” he replied. He dropped a kiss on Luna’s cheek and whispered goodbye before the pair walked out of the Great Hall, eyes following them until they could no longer be seen. As soon as they were out of sight, the students broke out into whispers and new rumors. Luna was receiving looks from her nosy housemates as if she would openly tell her best friend’s business. 

Instead, she took out her newest books about muggles’ exotic plants and started reading. 

***

Harry took him to a secluded clearing around the castle. It was a beautiful, tranquil space that many students overlooked because it was a bit far away from the quidditch pitch, the perfect place for couples who wanted more privacy. 

“Oh, this is my favorite spot in the entire castle,” Draco said excitedly. 

“I thought you might’ve liked it,” Harry grinned, continuing, “I wanted to apologize to you.” Draco turned to look at him curiously. 

“For what?” He asked. 

“Last Saturday, I realized my friends weren’t exactly the most welcoming bunch,” he said, hands coming up to rub his neck. “It turned into an uncomfortable situation for you, and I felt bad about it.”

Draco shook his head, “You don't have to apologize, Harry. You bought all those sweets for me and even invited me to hang out with you. I’ll admit, your friends were a bit intimidating but that’s just me. I’m socially inept at times.” 

“Really? Well, that’s good,” Harry said easily. He had been worried that his friends’ attitude at the Three Broomsticks would discourage Draco from being around him. He could tell that the blond was easily rattled and he was somewhat still timid around him. “I was kind of sad that you left so early, I wanted to talk to you more, maybe get to know you.” 

They were walking deeper into the clearing, further into the deep forest that the clearing led to. 

“Why?” Draco asked bluntly. “I’m not interesting or special, you know. If you wanted to know about my family history, you would probably learn more from history books than through me.” 

“Not your family history, Blondie, just you, and I think you’re plenty interesting,” Harry said, a smirk playing at his lips.

Draco bit his lips, stopping an indignified sound from coming out of his mouth. He didn’t even register Harry calling him ‘Blondie’.

“Well, um, then why do you want to get to know me?” He asked again. 

“I think you’re rather beautiful,” Harry expressed with a low tone. 

This time, Draco could not help the small sound that he let out. He turned to face Harry completely. He tried to form a complete sentence but only made out, “I…You…What?” 

Harry stared at the boy in front of him, the sun setting behind him, making his white-blond hair look like a halo, his wide grey eyes blinking up at him, and his lips turning cherry red from the nibbling. He looked beyond beautiful at this moment, he looked completely ethereal. He felt his insides turning into a pleasant zoo at the sight in front of him. 

“I think you’re beautiful,” He said again. 

“Thank you,” Draco looked down shyly. Then he furrowed his eyebrows, “Is that why you wanted to talk to me?” 

“I wanted to get to know you better,” Harry said. 

“Okay, but why? Do you want to be friends with me?” Draco asked, nervously picking on his sleeves. 

“No, not really,” he replied, no tone indicating what else he was thinking. 

Draco nearly burst into tears as his world essentially came crashing down. What does it matter if Harry thought he was gorgeous if he didn’t even want to be friends? 

“I want more with you,” came a few seconds later. Draco nearly suffered a whiplash from the sudden way he looked back up, his eyes wide as saucers. 

He pinched himself discreetly, bit his tongue, and nearly slapped himself on his cheeks to check if he was dreaming. 

More? What is more? 

“Not right now, of course,” Harry clarified. “I thought you were bloody gorgeous, so I wanted to get to know you better so we could hopefully become something more someday.” 

The blond continued staring at him, eyes still wide and not moving. 

“If you’re not interested, I understand,” he said. 

Truthfully, the prospect of someone rejecting him greatly wounded his pride. He has never been turned down by anyone, especially not by someone he was considering a relationship with. It wasn’t a great hassle for him, he got to know them and within a week they were dating. 

After a couple of months, more or less, he’d break up with them, growing bored and losing feelings. Aside from his exes, hookups also never turned him down. Those were just for fun and for him to explore his sexual side greatly. His parents and Hermione greatly frowned upon his promiscuous lifestyle, but he was 16, for Godric’s sake. Once he married, he would never touch another human being. 

It didn’t help that he knew for a fact that his father would expect at least a serious prospect for marriage by the time he was in his early 20s. His father had always told him that the wizarding society needed to see him stable, not wildly partying and having a new arm candy every few months like he was doing now. 

Draco was completely ethereal, far more beautiful than anyone he’d ever seen, and he made him feel more than any of his exes. He’s never tried so hard for the attention of anyone. He was almost confident this could be his first serious relationship, damn his family history. He didn’t care about that. Harry was the heir of the lordship, no one would ever dare to talk about Draco degradingly while he was with him. 

“No, it’s not that!” Draco exclaimed, holding up his hands. “I’m just shocked that’s all. Really, shocked.” He whispered the last part. 

“Oh, I thought I was obvious with my relentless pursuit. I was afraid I was beginning to come off as creepy,” he joked. But Draco didn’t laugh, he was just baffled, as he often was these days. 

“What do you mean? Surely, I’d noticed if you were pursuing me,” he retorted, wringing his hands. 

“I’ve tried to talk to you on two occasions, I helped you with your detention, bought you sweets, invited you to hang out with my friends, and I waited for you today, in front of your class. I hope you don’t think I go around doing that for everyone else,” Harry quipped, grinning. 

A soft tint of red made its way up Draco’s cheeks and ears, embarrassed that he didn't pick up on the clues. He really ought to be paying attention to his surroundings more. 

“I didn’t realize,” he mumbled. “But, I think we could get to know each other if that’s what you want.” 

“Brilliant,” Harry smiled. “We should head back now, it’s going to be dark by the time we make it back to the castle.”

Draco nodded and looked around, noticing the last bit of sun rays peeking under the clouds as if waving goodbye to the world. They hadn't been walking for a while anyway.

“Let me carry your bag,” Harry offered. Draco began to decline, saying it wasn’t too heavy and he didn’t want to burden him with his bag. But, in the end, he relented and let him carry it. It was a nice gesture, showing how much of a gentleman he was. 

The walk back was relaxed and the conversation flowed smoothly, pleasing both students. They laughed, joked, and traded facts about each other, like Draco’s sweet tooth and his love for fashion, and how Harry preferred American breakfast food. Draco wrinkled his nose in distaste, claiming that fry-up was far superior to pancakes and waffles.

“I just don’t think you can be a Brit and prefer American food, Harry,” Draco argued. 

He shrugged, “There are more varieties and honestly, it’s the only thing I will admit they do better.” 

“That’s so scandalous. Harry James Potter, future lord of the British Wizarding World prefers the Americans’ way,” he exclaimed in mock horror. “Oh, I can just imagine the betrayal the citizens will feel.” 

He dissolved into a fit of giggles, and Harry's insides melted. How could someone laugh so prettily? When Draco laughed, his entire face lit up with it, his soft hair flowed freely with the wind, and his laugh was brighter than sunshine. 

I could listen to his laugh forever, he thinks. 

Too soon, they reached the castle. There’s barely anyone around now, either holed up in their respective common rooms or dorms, probably being mindful of the curfew. But, Harry didn’t want to let go of Draco just yet. 

The blond was talkative, filling the rest of the walk with his stories from his childhood in the muggle world and adventures with Lovegood. He liked seeing him use his hands to tell his stories, the way his excitement showed through his voice, Harry was hooked.

“Draco, I wanted to ask you something,” he said. 

Draco looked at him with a curious stare, “What is it?” He asked. 

“You know how my parents host that gala every year?” He started. “I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go with me.” 

Draco’s eyes widened. Of course, he knew about the gala, it was a magnificent one that everyone in the Wizarding World wanted to go to, and every year, Harry took Hermione despite the gaggle of ladies who wanted to go with him. Now, Harry was asking him? 

“Don’t you usually take Hermione?” Daco asked hesitantly. He didn’t want to say ‘yes’ without knowing why Harry decided to ask him. Sure, he’d said he found Draco gorgeous and he wanted to get to know him just in case they could be something, someday. However, he couldn’t help but be wary. 

This was Harry Potter, he moved on like a fly without consideration for his ex’s feelings. He would be damned if he became a name in his long list of exes.

“Don’t worry, Hermione can find someone else,” Harry charmingly smiled. “I already have a robe I think you would look perfect in. So, what do you say?”

Draco bit his lips in thought. He didn’t know what to say. On the one hand, he wanted to go with him badly. But, on the other hand, he’d be the talk of the entire Wizarding World and his mum would be furious at him. She’d feel hurt that he’d gone against her biggest advice. 

However, Draco couldn’t find it in him to care more about that. He’d been in love with Harry for so long, yearning for him, and in a week and a half, he had gotten what he wanted for 5 long years. 

“I’d love to,” he smiled brightly. He was nervous because he knew what he just said ‘yes’ to. He knew he had just broken many witches' hearts and he would be scrutinized more than ever, but he just did not care.

“Brilliant,” Harry replied with an excited tone. “I’ll show you the robe later. Let me walk you back to your common room.” 

The pair walked to the Ravenclaw’s common room and said their goodbyes. A simple “goodnight” and a “sweet dreams.” 

***

Draco’s heart with throbbing and he could not keep the smile off his face. Luna was waiting for him on one of the couches in the room. She walked over to him when she saw him enter the room. A few other Ravenclaws were mingling around or studying, but no one paid attention to them. 

“Draco, how was it? What happened?” She asked. 

Draco looked at his friend with a huge grin, “Let’s go sit down first,” he suggested. The two friends went to sit on the couch. 

He took a deep breath and said in a shaky voice, “He asked me to go to the gala with him.” 

Luna’s eyes widened, “The gala? You mean the gala that his parents host every year and the one that the entire Wizarding World desperately wants to go to?” She asked in disbelief. 

Draco nodded, still speechless and in disbelief himself.

“What did you say?” She asked, her eyes still wide and blown.

“I agreed, he said he wanted to give me a robe too,” Draco excitedly whisper-yelled. He didn’t want to anyone overhear what they were talking about. 

“Congratulations, I’m so happy for you,” Luna smiled sincerely. She was truly happy for her friend. He had finally gotten what he wanted since she’d met him. Even though she was a bit wary of the fast pace, Luna would never get in the way of his happiness. 

In her eyes, there was no person more deserving of happiness than her best friend, and if the heir of the Wizarding World broke her best friend's heart, well, she had more rings and she wasn't afraid to use them.

Chapter Text

Draco and Potter got closer to each other over the next few weeks. It was surprising and beautiful to see, for Luna at least. 

She’d never seen her best friend this happy in the years she’d known him, and Potter was everything Draco had ever dreamed about. 

He was a gentleman, charming, respectful, and sweet. He’d walk Draco to his classes with Luna walking on his other side, hold his books for him, buy him sweets he knew he’d like, never get too forceful, and all in all, Luna had no complaints. 

She was all right with walking behind them. Luna didn’t mind when Draco’s time was shared with Potter; it was all okay.

The other students in the school weren’t too happy about it, but they couldn’t show it or talk about it openly because Potter was a nice guy, but not a kind one. 

Luna didn’t know why people thought he was; he wasn’t. He hated it when things inconvenienced him; he didn’t like it when others got in his way. The only people he listened to were his parents; she always thought he was arrogant.

She vividly saw the cold way he would push people, the way he didn’t hesitate to ice out anyone he didn’t like, and the manipulative way he would make sure he got what he wanted. 

But it worked in Draco’s favor now that Potter was “dating” him. No one wanted to bully him; some even tried to be friendly, which amused Luna. 

The worst were the students who tried too hard to make it seem like they were friends all along. Meanwhile, the ones who had severely bullied him, like Goldstein and his gang of dimwits, could only scowl from far away. 

Potter’s inner circle of friends was amusing and exciting to Luna. She knew that at least Weasley was put off by the whole thing, while Granger was more accepting, but she could see reluctance on her face, too. His other friends in Gryffindor, whom she met in The Three Broomsticks, were puzzled and wary, but they put up a front of acceptance. The girl-Weasley, however, was positively fuming. It entertained Luna to no end whenever she looked over at Potter’s table and saw her red-tinted face.

It didn’t matter to Luna, though. She was happy for Draco, and now that he was “under” the protection of Potter, it made her breath a little easier. No way would anyone dare go after the person Potter was dating. 

***
“Does Potter really like Draco?” Luna asked Hermione Granger. 
 
Granger looked surprised at the question. She had unceremoniously plopped her books on the seat across from Granger. The library was quiet, so the sound of the books was a surprise. 

“What?” Granger whisper-yelled. 

“Does Potter really like Draco?” She asked again. “Is he playing with him?”

“I don’t know,” Granger said. “Why?” She closed her thick book. 

“Because he’s my best friend and I don’t want him to be hurt,” Luna said. She twirled her blonde hair unconsciously. 

“Look, Luna, I don’t know what Harry’s thinking, okay?” Granger said. “But, he’s hardly the type to play with people’s feelings.” 

Luna eyerolled internally. Potter…not the type to play with people’s feelings? Has the world gone mad? Potter was the biggest player there ever was. But, she didn’t say that to Granger. She didn’t need 1/3 of the “Golden Trio” to have something against her. 

“Right…” she said. “Well, I just hope Potter isn’t playing a prank on him. If he is… I just wouldn’t know what to do.” 

With those ominous words, Luna smiled at Granger and stood up. 
***

Her father isn’t crazy. He’s just weird. 

If you asked Luna, she’d passionately say it and defend her father until she was red in the face. Maybe she’d even cast a small stinging hex. Her father understood her and always gave her sound advice. 

“Loyalty’s as warm as mismatched socks, really. Just like yours.” 

Then he’d chuckle and go back to writing about his newest creature. 

That stuck with her, though. She preferred loyalty above all. She was loyal to her wonder, the whimsical things she saw near her house, her father, nature, and most of all– Draco. 

God, how she loved him. Not in a romantic way– never that. But, still, in the most soul-crushing way. She loved the way he was obsessed with sweets, the way he dressed, the way he smiled, how he talked, his voice– everything. She would never hesitate to stand up for him. Never hesitate to kill for him.

That’s why, as Luna looked at Draco’s shaking body, his silver robe tattered around him in ugly patterns, she had to take in a deep breath to simmer down the hot, red anger threatening to boil.

“Draco, what happened to you? Aren’t you supposed to be at the gala?” Luna asked softly as she padded over to him. 

He was in his bed, his pillows soaked. She doesn’t know what’s wrong, and it scares her.

Draco lifts his head, and Luna’s heart breaks at the sight. His eyes are puffy, his cheeks ruddy from his tears, and he’s sniffling harshly. 

“He stood me up,” Draco says in a choked voice. “I destroyed my robes in embarrassment.” 

Luna inhaled sharply, staring at the ruined robes tangled around Draco’s shaking form. They’d been beautiful, silver threads woven into intricate patterns, the fabric light as a breeze, meant to shine under the soft lights of the gala. Draco had talked about them all week, his voice soft with excitement, imagining the way Potter might look at him in them. And now… Potter had done this?

Draco clutched the robes to his chest as though they were some saving grace. “I… I just don’t understand, Luna,” he whispered, his voice fractured. “He was supposed to be there. He promised.”

Luna felt the familiar, protective anger pulse through her, sharp and hot. She reached out and wrapped her arms around him tightly. 

“I’m here, Draco. I’m here.”

For a while, they sat in silence, Draco’s breathing ragged and unsteady.

After a while, Draco managed to speak. “I can’t believe I was so stupid to believe him,”
He mumbled, anguish flickering in his wet eyes. 

Luna’s grip tightened. “You’re not stupid, sweetheart,” she said as she kissed his forehead.

“I am. How could I ever think he would take me seriously?” Draco sobbed. Luna opened her mouth to interrupt, to say anything, but Draco beat her to it. 

“Seriously, I’m no one. I’m the son of a disgraced Death Eater, a disgraced family. How.. how could I even dare-” he broke off into a sob. 

Luna held him as he cried into her shoulders. 

That night, Luna hummed softly as Draco slept in her bed, his cheeks flushed because of the tears and the anguish of being stood up by Harry Potter. 

***

The next morning, the Great Hall was buzzing with talk about the gala from the previous night. The glorious Potter gala that everyone was looking forward to each year.

Draco, who felt embarrassed that Harry Potter had stood him up, could barely walk with his head held high.  It made him burn red with embarrassment when people figured it out, as the “who went with who” convos swirled around. 

When he saw the pictures of Harry with Ginny Weasley printed on the front pages of  The Daily Prophet, he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. It felt like his heart was being clenched forcefully. 

He was so focused on his embarrassment and pain that he didn’t notice Luna getting up from her seat next to him. Didn’t notice her fists clench, her eyes glowing like a glow stick in anger. Didn’t notice her clenched jaw. Didn’t notice her fast footsteps towards the Gryffindor table. 

By the time Draco noticed she wasn’t next to him, it was too late. 

Luna Lovegood walked up to the Gryffindor’s table and threw a left hook at Harry Potter.

Square. On. His. Jaw.