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Dreams of Today 14

Sequel to Songs of Yesterday. Haley Potter still has nightmares about that night at the graveyard. But is the nightmare really over? Luckily she has her friends to keep her from worrying too much. Her friends and… a certain Slytherin that is really bad at pretending he hates her.

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 (link to masterlist)

14 – The Calm After The Storm

The days following that disastrous Christmas morning, Sirius had been suspiciously absent. Haley suspected he was spending all of his time in that little room where Buckbeak was staying but she was too scared to check. Once, Hermione had carefully asked Haley about her godfather but the girl had only shaken her head sadly, not being able to reply. She hadn't been asked about him since.

The days went by sometimes too fast, sometimes too slowly until the day of their return to Hogwarts finally arrived. It was only a couple of hours before they were supposed to leave. Haley had been fighting with herself all day, wondering if she should seek her godfather out or leave him be. Then, just as she was looking under her bed if there was anything she had forgotten to put inside her trunk, there was a soft knock against the open door frame.

"Come in," she called, her head still stuck under the bed. She heard the door close and a pair of feet nearing her bed. Then someone cleared their throat.

Haley freed her head from under the bed and looked up. Right into the eyes of her godfather.

"Sirius…" she breathed, regarding him out of wide surprised eyes. His beard looked like he hadn't shaved in the last couple of days and there were dark circles underneath his eyes.

She jumped to her feet, feeling like a deer that was caught in someone's headlights.

"Um… why don't you…" She mumbled, gesturing toward the bed opposite hers. Her godfather let himself sink onto Ginny's bed, while Haley slowly sat down on her own.

"You're still not done with packing? James, always delayed that until the last possible second as well," he commented fondly.

Haley chuckled nervously. Then it was quiet again.

"Look –" – "I –" They both said at the same time.

"You go first," the girl said, gesturing for her godfather to talk with a sheepish grin.

Sirius sighed, running his hands across his face. "Merlin, this is hard," he mumbled, before letting his arms sink and interlacing his fingers in his lap. "I've been thinking hard about what you told me the other day and… well, let's get to the point, shall we?" He proposed, the hint of a smile ghosting around his bearded mouth. "I hate the thought of you going around with that Malfoy boy and doing who knows what with him. And let me assure you, James would have shared that opinion."

Haley tried not to let any disappointment show. She had expected something like this.

"However," Sirius continued sternly. "As I know from experience, when something is forbidden, people – and teenagers especially – tend to want it even more… which is why…" He stopped there, letting the sentence hang in the air unfinished. Haley's heart beat painfully in her chest. Did that mean what she thought it did?

Sirius exhaled audibly. "I'm not… I'm not going to tell you what to do… or not to do." He added in a resigned tone.

Haley gaped at him speechlessly. "But – but – does that – does that mean you'll let me – you'll let me keep seeing him?" She asked, almost too stunned to believe it.

"Well, I won't stop you if that's what you really want," he grumbled, turning his face to the side. "Wouldn't be a point in that anyway. You're just as stubborn as your mum," he replied with a snort. "She, too, couldn't help looking for something good in even the darkest souls." He muttered, his voice going quieter toward the end. He also mumbled something about 'James' and 'thrill' and 'dating Slytherins' but Haley was occupied with other things.

She couldn't believe it! Was she dreaming? It didn't feel like a dream but… could this really be true? Maybe he didn't approve of her choice of company but at least it seemed like he somewhat accepted it. Which was a start. With a face-splitting grin, she got up from her bed and attacked her godfather, throwing her arms around him.

"You're the best!" She exclaimed happily. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She could barely stop herself from squealing.

"Not so fast. There are some conditions," Sirius muttered, somewhere above her.

"What conditions?" She asked, wondering where this was going.

Sirius cleared his throat importantly. "First, you contact me at least once a week so I know you're still alive." She rolled her eyes but nodded once. She could do that.

"Second, you can't tell him anything – and I mean not the slightest bit – about the Order, this place or anything else that could be relevant for Death Eaters."

Haley bit her lips. Did he think she was stupid? "I haven't," she emphasized. "I haven't even told him about our DA meetings."

"You haven't?" Sirius seemed surprised.

"No," she confirmed. "I guess… it never came up."

"Well, that's good," he remarked.

"Is there more?"

"Of course," he replied with a chuckle. "Third, if he tries anything funny or hurts you in any way you tell me at once so I can make sure he won't be able to do it a second time." Sirius eyes looked so dark at these words, that Haley shuddered.

"Okay," she agreed with a sigh, silently hoping it wouldn't ever come to this.

"And finally," Sirius said, pushing his goddaughter slightly away so he could look into her eyes. "I want you to think about whether you're really sure about this. About him. You know, as well as I do that his father is a Death Eater. He's a dangerous man and if you ever," he paused, his grey eyes full of urgency, boring into her green ones like he was trying to look into her soul. She swallowed nervously. "If you ever feel only the slightest doubt about him or his intentions, you can't hesitate. You have to end it immediately. Do you understand?"

Haley stared at him, the words silently replaying in her mind. She didn't know if she could do it. Only the slightest doubt? Wasn't it normal to have doubts?

"Haley, do you understand?" Sirius, repeated his question, urgency colouring his voice.

It felt like one of the hardest things she had ever done but after what felt like hours, she nodded.

"Good," Sirius breathed. A heavy sigh, emphasized his relief. "Oh right, before I forget," he said, taking a small box from the pocket of his sweater. "Here."

"What's that?" The girl asked, reaching to open it.

"Open it later," Sirius suggested, stopping her hand with his. "I should probably leave you to pack." He dropped a scratchy kiss to her forehead and got up. Before he could make it to the door, Haley got up and went after him. "Sirius?"

"Hm?" He turned around only to find himself with an armful of Haley. "Oof." He chuckled, catching her before they both tumbled over.

Haley clutched her godfather tightly. She was endlessly relieved he was still talking her and she hadn't lost him after all. She didn't know what she would have done if he had turned his back on her. "I'm so glad I have you," she mumbled against his chest, her voice breaking at the end.

"Me too," he said simply but his voice sounded equally emotional as hers. And the way he held onto her almost seemed like he never wanted to let her go. She hated that she had to leave him here. But eventually they had to say good-bye. And as much as she wished she could stay for a couple of days longer she had no choice but to go back to Hogwarts and leave her godfather behind. All alone. Inside the big, cold house that was filled with painful memories.

…

They were all relieved when they were finally allowed to leave the Knight Bus. Haley didn't understand why that bus was so fascinating to Ron. All it did was make her nauseous and throw its passengers around like billiard balls.

"Blimey, that was a ride!" Ron exclaimed. Haley wasn't sure whether he was being sarcastic or serious. "What? We have to walk? Where are the carriages?"

That was the downside of not arriving together with all the other students. They had to walk all the way from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts in the snow. Hopefully they would still be back in time for dinner. The Entrance Hall was packed with students from all houses, chattering around cheerfully like they hadn't seen each other in ages. Which was only slightly exaggerated.

"Man, I'm hungry," Ron complained, trying to get through the mass of students. "Oh, hey Luna!" He greeted, waving at someone.

"Hello," said a dreamy voice, that was soon accompanied by blue eyes in a face framed with long blonde locks. Luna. "Did you all have good holidays?"

"Oh, yes! I mean, well – apart from dad being at the hospital over Christmas… But he's all better now."

"That's great! I already heard from Ginny. Did you try the herbs I sent?" Luna asked.

"Oh..." Ron seemed lost for a moment. "Well... dad was already better before we had the chance to try them… but thank you anyway," he replied with a grin. "Also for the present. What was it? A tuning fork?"

Hermione snorted, sending Haley an amused look.

"Oh, no problem. You're welcome," Luna answered sweetly, which only caused Hermione to chuckle more.

"It's used by musicians, right?" He said, remembering what Hermione had told them.

"Yes, mostly." Luna nodded. They both looked so earnest that Haley couldn't fight her own grin any more. Ron seemed to finally notice the state of his two friends.

"What's wrong with you two?" He asked with a frown. Hermione could only shake her head, while Haley hid her grin behind her hand.

Ron shook his head and turned back to the blonde. "Don't mind them. They're mental," he said dismissively.

"Oh?" Luna said, raising an eyebrow. It oddly reminded Haley of the way Malfoy always raised his blond eyebrows at her. "That's ironic," Luna said quietly in a way that didn't sound amused at all.

"Why's that?" Ron asked, confusedly, then he seemed to notice his mistake. "Oh, you mean because that's what people call you."

Haley grimaced. Ron just didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

Something clouded over in the Ravenclaw's eyes. She smiled softly, almost pityingly at the boy, before turning to Haley. "When is the next meeting going to be?" She asked, her tone light.

"Oh. We haven't decided yet," she replied, slightly surprised that she was addressed so suddenly.

Luna nodded once. Then she seemed to remember something. "Oh, I almost forgot." She opened her shoulder bag and rummaged through its contents.

"Could you hold this for a moment?" She asked, holding out two thick books for Haley.

"Sure," she agreed and took the books. Hidden behind the books, Luna slipped something else into her fingers. A piece of paper. Haley's eyes widened but Luna wasn't even looking at her and instead kept sifting through her bag.

"Oh, and this," the Ravenclaw said, handing three shrivelled turnips to Ron, before delving into her bag again.

"What's that?" Ron asked, inspecting the turnips curiously.

"They're tingling turnips. We've got plenty of them in our garden at home. You can keep them," she mumbled absently. "Oh, there it is."

Triumphantly, Luna held up a pink quill with glitter all over it. "Could you give this to Ginny? It's hers. I found it in my bag when I was packing this morning. She probably thinks she lost it."

"Sure. No problem," Ron replied, taking the quill from the girl's hands.

"Thank you," the Ravenclaw answered with a cheerful smile. Ron dropped one of the turnips. He didn't even seem to notice.

"You dropped something," Luna informed him politely.

"What?" He looked down. "Oops," he said, picking it up. What the-?

Haley cleared her throat. "Um, your books," she said, handing said books to the blonde girl, while making sure the piece of paper was hidden in her sleeve.

"Thank you," Luna replied, smiling even wider and putting the books back in her bag. Looking around, Haley noticed that a new flood of students was coming out of the Great Hall. This had to mean dinner time was almost over.

"Oh, you should probably hurry if you still want to eat something," Luna advised. She had followed Haley's gaze.

"Right. I'm starving!" Ron declared. "Do you think there's still roast beef?" He asked, his mind completely focused on food now.

Haley rolled her eyes, and turned to Hermione to share a grin with her. But Hermione wasn't looking at her. She was studying Luna.

"Hermione, are you coming?" Haley asked, suddenly afraid her friend had noticed Luna slipping her the note.

"Oh. Yes." She replied absently.

"See you, Luna," Haley said warmly, before turning around and steering her friends in the direction of the Great Hall.

"See you," Luna replied, giving a small wave, while Ron turned back to shout, "Bye, Luna!"

Hermione was quiet. Haley wasn't sure she wanted to know what her friend was thinking about so deeply.

…

The willow. 9 o'clock. The note didn't say more than that. But it was enough. Enough to make tingles of excitement run all over her body. Sneaking out proved to be easier than she had anticipated. Hermione had almost fallen asleep over knitting more of her elf hats and Ron had called it a night shortly after. Fred and George had started to test their products on students again and he had been reluctant to be the one to tell them to stop. Which was how Haley found herself slipping through the Fat Lady's portrait with a bag around her shoulder and two cloaks draped around herself. One kept her warm and the other invisible.

"Midnight stroll?" A voice asked smugly. A familiar voice. Damn. A figure appeared from an alcove to her left and blocked the hallway. She sighed in relief. It was only George. She contemplated, staying quiet and waiting until he left on his own. But somehow she didn't think it would work.

"Let me past, George," she said, removing the hood of her Invisibility Cloak so he could see her face.

"After you told me where you're going this late at night." He grinned at her cheekily.

"Out." She really didn't have the patience for this.

"Alone?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Fine, I'm meeting Malfoy. Happy now?" She almost growled in exasperation.

"I guess." He chuckled. "But not as happy as you." He winked at her, before stepping to the side. It was weird. But somehow it did make her happy to be able to talk about this. To share her excitement with someone. With a friend.

"Here." George held out his hand. There was a toffee in his palm. It was the same he had offered her last time, when he had comforted her after her talk with Sirius. She still hadn't tried it.

"You should try it sometime. Maybe tonight?" George winked at her again. As she slipped it into her pocket she wondered what the effects of eating it could be. It wasn't anything… dirty, was it? With a blush she pushed it deeper into her pocket.

"You're not going to follow me, are you?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well… your godfather might have asked me to look out for you."

"What? Sirius asked you to spy on me?"

"Hm, that's not how he phrased it but… I guess you could say that."

"Wow. That's… going a bit far, don't you think?" She should have known Sirius wasn't going to let her off that easily. "And you agreed?"

George shrugged. "It worked out, didn't it? He didn't disown you after all."

"So, you're spying on me for my own good, then?" This was ridiculous.

"Yes, basically." He grinned. "And you know, so he won't tell mum about our latest invention for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."

Haley snorted. It looked like they were in the same boat. More or less.

"Well, I guess I could make up a convincing story, if you'd rather enjoy your date alone." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Honestly, I could do without watching the two of you snogging beneath the stars-"

"We're not going to – I mean – why must you be such a – ugh!" Haley sputtered, feeling her face heat up.

"I guess, this is my cue to leave." Her strong reaction seemed to amuse him. "Well, then. Have fun." He wished, before playfully ruffling her hair.

"Hey! Stop that."

But George was already walking back in the direction of the common room, before she could do any more than stomp her foot.

As she made her way down the long staircase she felt a warm smile settle on her face. Despite him acting as a spy for her godfather, this was nice. It was how it should be. Her friends teasing her before she went out on a date. Sharing the giddiness and distracting her from feeling too nervous. It seemed so easy. She wished she could have the same with Ron and Hermione one day.

…

DRACO

This time he hadn't forgotten his cloak. Just his hat. And his scarf. And his gloves. But he did remember to bring the present. Would Potter like it? He really hoped she would. He had never been this anxious about giving someone a present before. It was mixing with the anxiousness of finally getting to see her again after so many days. She hadn't been on the train. He had checked. And at dinner he had only gotten a short glimpse of her because the Gryffindor table was so far away from his own. Leaning back against the willow he checked his clock again. Ten past nine. Where was she? Lovegood had said she had received his note. So what was taking her so long?

A soft crunching noise made him look up. Were those footsteps? But there were no footprints in the snow besides his own. Crunch. There. He heard it again. He walked around the tree but there was nothing either. Then he heard an amused laugh and felt someone take his time machine from his fingers.

"Potter?" He turned around again, sure that he felt someone's presence. But there was no one. Just a voice whispering in the dark. "Sugar Tea."

There was a flash of lightning, a chuckle and then the snow vanished, leaving coloured leaves and September air in its wake.

When he next opened his eyes, she appeared out of nowhere like a phantom or a ghost.

Haley Potter. And she had the nerve to grin. What was that fluttery feeling, bubbling up inside his stomach? Oh, right. The butterflies were making a return.

...

HALEY

She couldn't help it. Seeing Malfoy always awakened the – very mature – urge in her to mess with him. Which was why she had carefully stepped in his footprints in the snow so he wouldn't see that she was coming. Well, it had been funnier in her imagination. Now, they were back in Hogsmeade and an annoyed scowl darkened the Slytherin's face. Haley slid off her Invisibility Cloak.

"You don't look happy to see me." She noted thoughtfully. The boy said nothing. Instead he watched her like he was contemplating whether to hex or hug her.

"Well… if that's how it is, I might as well go," she said, turning around and taking a step away from the willow tree.

"Don't be stupid, Potter," said Malfoy and she knew without turning around that he was rolling his eyes. She grinned. Then there was a hand on her wrist, pulling her back and turning her around.

...

DRACO

Potter was leaning back against the tree now, smirking like she had won something. He didn't know why he was letting her do this to him. He blamed the butterflies. Those treacherous creatures.

"Your fingers are ice cold!" Potter exclaimed, pulling off one of her gloves and grabbing the hand that had been holding onto her wrist. Her fingers were like fire on his skin. His hand was now sandwiched between her hands; one gloved and one bare.

Draco shrugged. "I… might have forgotten to wear gloves."

"You forgot to wear gloves. In winter." Potter stated sceptically.

"Yes." He admitted reluctantly. "It can happen." It usually didn't happen though. He hated being cold. But he had been so eager to meet her that he had barely remembered pulling on his cloak. It wasn't something he planned to tell her.

For some reason Potter grinned. "Well, I guess I know now why they call you the Ice Prince."

Seriously? Draco rolled his eyes. "Nobody calls me the Ice Prince," he replied, furrowing his brows. Had she been talking to Lovegood? Or was there really anyone out there who called him that? He highly doubted it.

...

HALEY

"Besides, it's more likely a reference to the temperature of my heart," Malfoy continued like this was a serious matter worth pondering over. Haley chuckled. "If you say so." We both know that your heart isn't as cold as you'd like everyone to believe, she thought to herself but she bit her lips before the words could slip out. He would probably contradict her anyway.

There was a soft crease between the boy's light eyebrows that told her he was still contemplating the meaning behind the words. It looked kind of cute. Haley felt something warm pool in her stomach that most likely had nothing to do with the autumn sun. The hand she was holding seemed a bit warmer now. But Malfoy's other hand was probably still cold. Why hadn't he warmed his hands in his coat pockets? That would have been sensible. Boys, she thought with a sigh.

"Here," the Gryffindor instructed, while reaching for Malfoy's other hand. "Put them in your pockets." Haley wanted to shove the boy's hand in his coat pockets herself but just as his fingers were vanishing inside the fabric, he took a step back and shook off her fingers.

"What's wrong?" She asked in confusion. Why was he reacting like that?

The boy shook his head and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Interesting. Hadn't she heard something crinkle, when his left hand had touched the insides of his pocket? Was he hiding something there?

"Is there something in your pocket?" She asked, watching him calculatingly.

Malfoy shook his head again but there was definitely a hint of pink, dusting his pale cheeks. That told her everything she needed to know. Haley suddenly jumped forward and reached for his pockets. To her dismay, Malfoy stopped her by grabbing her wrists. She glared at him.

"What is it?" She asked again. Could it be something for her? A present maybe?

"It's nothing," the boy whispered, his head turned to the side.

Haley sighed. "Come on, just tell me," she urged softly, looking up at him, her lips slightly pouting. She didn't know what changed – maybe it was the tone of her voice – but Malfoy turned to her, his eyes wide and lips slightly parted. His eyes wandered across her face like he was seeing her only now. She had missed him, she realised. Missed him looking at her like that. Like she was special. Like he never wanted to stop looking at her. The thought made her blush. But even so, she didn't look away. Not even when he closed his eyes and sighed. How odd. The sigh almost sounded like he was surrendering.

...

DRACO

Potter looking up at him with those grass green eyes, framed by delicate lashes and with her pink lips in a pout was his undoing. All this time he had been longing to see her again. The memory of her face slowly fading day by day. Now his mind had gone blank and he didn't understand why he was doing anything but kissing her. He slowly leant down without having decided to do so and didn't even try to fight the irresistible pull of her lips. He felt like a butterfly that was drawn to the sweet nectar of a beautiful spring flower.

He closed his eyes and before his lips connected with hers, he sighed. In anticipation. Or perhaps because giving in to her felt like such a relief. It didn't matter. His fingers wandered down to curl around hers. While he took a step forward, pushing her backwards against the tree, his other hand found her jaw, angling her face just right so he could comfortably reach her lips. Haley snaked one arm around his neck, burying her fingers in his hair and pulling him even closer. His heart ached pleasantly. How much he had missed this. How much he had missed her.

...

HALEY

She had known just from the look on his face that he was going to kiss her. It scared her a bit, if she was honest. How much she was learning about this boy. Was he learning about her in the same way? Somehow this kiss reminded her of their first kiss. When it had felt like he was telling her how he felt through kissing her. It was the same now. It felt like he was giving up parts of himself and offering them to her. As she was kissing him and pulling him closer she suddenly became scared. Wasn't it too much? Too soon? He was giving her the power to hurt him. Hurt him badly. How could he trust her with this?

When he pulled away, he gently cupped her face in his hands and rested his forehead against hers. A soft smile was pulling up the corners of his lips. He looked so relaxed and happy.

"I…" He started to say, before stopping himself, seemingly surprised.

"Yes?" Haley asked curiously, she sounded embarrassingly breathless.

The boy shook his head, biting his kiss-red lips. She wanted to kiss him again. But she also wanted to know what he had been about to say. And while they were at it she wanted to know what he was hiding inside his pocket.

"I'll tell you next time," he said with a smirk, as he pushed a dark lock behind her ear. Haley frowned.

...

DRACO

She needed to stop looking at him like this. Or he would never be able to stop himself from kissing her. Which wasn't a bad thing in itself. But it made him feel pathetic and vulnerable. And he didn't like feeling like that. That was also why he had stopped himself from telling her these three little words just now. I missed you. Or more accurately: I missed you so much. How foolish that would have been. He couldn't admit how deep his feelings went. Not yet.

Instead he leant in to kiss her again, smiling against her lips as he felt her arms come up around his back. Then he heard a crinkling noise… Draco opened his eyes, noticing Haley's hand inside his coat pocket.

"You-" He exclaimed, reaching for her hand. "Give that back!" But the girl was already jumping backwards. She held the small festively wrapped up box up in the air and shot a triumphant grin at him.

"I knew it!" She gloated, while Draco took a step forward so he could reach her. Haley took another step backwards and promptly stumbled over the roots of the willow tree. Her eyes widened comically and while she steadied herself by holding on to a low hanging branch, the box fell into the grass.

Wide green eyes looked up at him guiltily. "Oops," she said, biting her lips sheepishly. It should have annoyed him but her expression was just too endearing.

She quickly knelt down to pick up the box and offered it to him.

Draco sighed. Then he shook his head and slipped his hands into his now empty pockets. "It's yours," he whispered, staring at the ground. He hadn't wanted to give it to her like this.

"You mean… it's for me?"

"Yes." Of course it's for you, he wanted to hiss, as Potter did nothing but stare at the present in disbelief.

"You can open it," he grumbled impatiently. "It's not dangerous or toxic or anything." He didn't mean to be this grouchy but he was so anxious to see whether she liked the present.

Potter snorted. "I didn't think it was," she said while pulling at the silver ribbon. Draco wondered if she was taking more time opening the present on purpose. To drive him mad.

Once the wrapping was completely gone, the girl stared at the small box that was covered in dark red velvet like she didn't know how to open it.

"Just open it," he urged. "There's a clasp on the side." He added, not being able to stop the sarcastic remark.

"I know how to open the stupid box," she replied with an eye-roll. Oops, it seemed like his mood was starting to darken hers, too. He hadn't meant to do that. He bit his lips.

With one swift movement the box was open but Draco found the girl's face much more interesting. Did she like it?

...

HALEY

Inside the case that fit into her open palm was a fairy. Well, not a real fairy but one made of… gold? No, this didn't look like gold. Was it bronze? Or silver? The material seemed to glow in different shades, depending on where the light was coming from. The fairy reminded her of the one she had seen with Malfoy on the night of the Yule Ball all those months ago. She was half the size of Haley's thumb and her delicate wings were spread out as if she was flying.

"It's not much…" Malfoy whispered. She looked up into his grey eyes, that were fixed on the figure in her hand. Was he kidding her? This looked like it had cost a fortune! She couldn't be sure but it might even be custom-made. "But I wanted to get you something… something with meaning."

He met her eyes, biting his lips. "Do you remember?"

"How could I forget," she replied, remembering the events of that night like it had been yesterday. How Michael Corner had crushed her hopes, before Malfoy had stepped into the picture and turned her world upside-down.

The boy smiled, "Do you remember what I said back then?"

"You mean after you found a fairy in my hair?" She chuckled. Malfoy shrugged nonchalantly like finding a fairy in someone's hair was something completely normal.

"I think… I think you apologised. And also," she cleared her throat, mockingly. "You said it was a sign of your… sincerity."

"I did," he breathed, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"You've always been a bit dramatic, haven't you?" She grinned.

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "So?" He seemed a tiny bit offended. Haley bit back a sarcastic remark and instead picked the fairy up from the box. She was dangling from a delicate silver chain that had been hidden before. The fairy twirled around from the movement like she was actually alive and dancing. How beautiful.

"What's that?" She asked, gesturing toward the single word that was engraved into the fairy's back, almost too small to be seen. She couldn't decipher it.

"Oh, that's just..." the boy answered sheepishly. "The signature of the manufacturer."

"Oh." Haley was surprised and possibly a little bit disappointed.

"Well, at first I wanted her to inscribe something but… nothing seemed to fit… So I just left it like that." He concluded thoughtfully. "So..." He added, while looking at her with an expectant expression. "Don't you… want to put it on?"

"Oh! Yes, sure," she replied, handing the necklace along with the velvet box back to the boy. Then she pulled off her coat and carelessly dropped it to the ground. This time zone was much too warm for a winter coat and she would actually be able to put on the necklace like this.

When she held out her hand to take back her present, Malfoy shook his head and took a step closer to her instead. He placed his arms around her neck and fastened the clasp with quick fingers. Haley swore he took a deep breath before stepping back again. The boy's eyes lingered on her collar bone, where the fairy was sitting, for a moment. Then he looked up into her eyes.

"What… do you think?" he asked, sounding unusually shy. Haley's gaze wandered down to the pendant. Then her fingers followed, touching the small figure cautiously.

"I… It's beautiful," she whispered. Why was she whispering?

The boy's lips curled up into a soft smile. "So, you like it?" He asked, not quite hiding his excitement.

Haley bit her lips. "Yes," she breathed, with a small smile of her own.

Malfoy's smile widened, and he sighed in a way that Haley swore was full of relief.

"So…" the boy said again, shuffling his feet on the ground. "Is there perhaps… something in your bag… for me?" He asked, his gaze dropping to where her bag was lying on the ground.

Haley laughed. He made it sound like she was Santa Claus or something.

"I don't remember owning a red robe, you know? And I don't even have a white beard."

The Slytherin rolled his eyes, not even gracing her with an answer. Haley chuckled but sank to the ground, where she sat on her discarded coat and gestured for him to join her. As he sank down beside her, she reached for her bag and fetched a box that was wrapped up in brightly coloured wrapping paper. As she handed the present to the boy next to her, her heart started to beat uncomfortably in her chest. What was making her this nervous all of a sudden?

The wrapping was torn off in no more than a second. Haley couldn't look. It had been a stupid idea. She knew it! Malfoy was lifting off the top now…

...

DRACO

He had to admit he had not expected her to give him biscuits. The box was full of them in all shapes and forms. Some with chocolate or icing in different colours. What a surprise.

"Um… you should try one," the girl suggested, picking up one of the biscuits, that was shaped like a cat with a painted on smiley face and whiskers, and breaking it into two halves. "See, they're not poisoned," she said with a nervous undertone, as she bit into one half of the biscuit, offering him the other.

He took the biscuit and held it in front of his nose, pretending to smell it sceptically. Then he bit off a small piece and chewed it, letting the sweetness fill his taste buds. Was this cinnamon he tasted? He loved cinnamon!

"I don't know how many biscuits we baked during the holidays. Ron's mum probably knows every biscuit recipe there is in the world. But you know, I asked her to show me how to make these. Because I think they taste the best. You see, this one is with cinnamon and these are with vanilla and chocolate and these over here are with cardamom, do you like cardamom?" Haley stopped her rant for a second, looking at him questioningly. This was a bit much to take in. Draco didn't think he had ever heard the girl ramble like that.

"What?" He asked foolishly.

"Cardamom," she repeated. "Do you like it?"

"I…" He shook his head, in an attempt to make sense of the things she had said before. "You mean… you've made them yourself?"

Haley nodded. "Yes."

Draco blinked at the girl, not knowing what to say. She had made biscuits for him. For him. And a whole box of them, too. A strange feeling filled him up. But he couldn't put a name to it. He could only stare at her, like he had lost the ability to talk.

Potter bit her lips, frowning slightly. "I knew it was a stupid idea," she mumbled, before reaching for the box and taking it away from him. He wanted to protest but he still hadn't found his voice. Fortunately, the girl only removed something blue from below the biscuits as it seemed, and gave the present back to him, placing the blue thing on top of the biscuits.

Were those… gloves? He saw now, that the material was a light blue, streaked with silver and patterned with little snow flakes.

"I know, it's silly but I just thought your hands are always so cold so… maybe you'll find them useful…" Haley whispered. "You know, I made them with wool that keeps extra warm. Luna helped me pick it out."

The strange feeling from before returned, filling him with an ache that seemed to pull at his insides. Was this real? Had the girl really made gloves for him because she had remembered that he tended to have cold hands?

...

HALEY

Malfoy was awfully quiet. Why didn't he say anything? It would be better if he told her that he didn't like the present. Or perhaps it was because of the colour? Or the shape?

"You don't mind that they're mittens, do you? I only started knitting recently so I couldn't make them with separate fingers…" Haley admitted sheepishly.

The boy still said nothing, he only stared at the mittens like the sight of them saddened him for some reason.

Haley sighed. "I knew it. You hate it." The disappointment was loudly resounding in her ears.

Malfoy looked up, finally meeting her eyes. "Hate it?" He echoed, seemingly having found his voice again.

"The present. All of it. You hate it, don't you? I knew it was silly," she mumbled, trying not to let it affect her too much.

"You're right." His voice seemed to come from far away. "You're being silly."

"Well, I'm sorry if I thought-" She fired back but then she noticed something about his eyes. They weren't red, were they?

"Don't be foolish. I don't hate it," he whispered, almost tonelessly.

"Then why…?" She started to ask.

The boy tried to form words but in the end he only shook his head silently. In the next moment his blond head fell forward and she felt a pair of arms circle around her.

...

DRACO

He couldn't keep looking at Potter. Potter with her honest green eyes, who made him feel like gloves and biscuits were the best Christmas presents one could ever wish for. Never would he have imagined that something so trivial could make him feel this much. Was it because of her? Because she had given them to him? Or was it the fact that she had put so much thought into the present and had actually made it herself? He wasn't really a fan of self-made things. Or so he had thought. Then why did this touch him so deeply? And Potter thought he didn't like, even hated the present! He didn't think he could ever hate something from her. Even if the biscuits tasted awful they would make him happy.

Draco hid his eyes that were starting to tear up against Haley's shoulder. Her familiar flowery scent that reminded him of Hogwarts calmed him somewhat. Wasn't it pathetic that he reacted like this over something that little children received from their grandparents every year? But if he was honest, he couldn't remember anyone putting so much effort into any present he had gotten before. He had always received what he had written on his list, yes, but that only showed that his relatives were able to read. It didn't show that they cared enough to actually wonder what he might like. Or that it was important enough to try and make it themselves.

Draco hadn't known that he could want this girl even more. He was almost drowning in the all-encompassing affection he felt for her. What did anything matter if he had her? He didn't need anything else if he could just hold on to this one girl forever.

...

HALEY

She didn't know how long they sat there like this. At some point she heard Malfoy softly whisper, "No one ever gave me a present like this."

"Like what?" She whispered in return, her hands resting on the boy's back.

"So warm and…" He seemed to look for the right words. "Just warm."

Warm? "How do you know that, you haven't even tried them on."

He clucked his tongue impatiently. "I'm not talking about the mittens. Well, I am but… you know… not like that."

She didn't know how to answer. What exactly did he mean?

He seemed to feel her confusion. "I meant that… the present… it's like you care. As if you actually thought about giving me something I would like."

Ah, now it made sense. Did that mean-? "So… you like the present?" She asked cautiously. She hadn't misunderstood, right?

"Of course, I like it," he muttered, somewhere next to her ear. His grip on her had loosened. It didn't seem like he was trying to squeeze all the air out of her any more.

"Really?" She asked happily.

"Yes." He answered. "Although, I do prefer actual gloves." He added teasingly. It wasn't even true. He had always found mittens to be much warmer than gloves. Even if it was true that gloves were more practical.

Haley pushed him away with a glare. "Give them back then," she demanded.

"I don't think I will," the boy replied with a grin, while he quickly put on the mittens. "They're so warm," he added happily.

The girl bit her lips but the smile came through anyway. "I told you. It's special wool that keeps your fingers extra warm." Looking at the boy who seemed so delighted over a pair of knobbly mittens, Haley felt a warm pull in her stomach and a sudden desire to keep seeing that expression on his face. She liked being the one who put it there.

"You know," she said, gazing at the mittens, so he wouldn't notice how much his reaction pleased her. "Ron's mum actually asked who I made them for because they seemed too big for my hands…"

Malfoy looked up. "And…?" His tone seemed somehow cautious, as if he thought, she had told Mrs Weasley about the two of them.

"Well, I said that they were for someone…" She drew out the last syllable for dramatic effect. "Someone whose hands were always cold." She revealed with a wink.

The boy blinked at her. Once. Twice. Then he snorted derisively, averting his eyes.

"You know, what she replied?" Haley didn't even wait for him to answer. "She said that people with cold hands are the kindest, because their hearts are warm."

Malfoy's gaze turned back to her in less than a second, eyes wide and mouth slightly opened. Then he frowned, fixing her with a sceptical look.

"I must be an exception then," he said mockingly.

Haley bit her lips, hiding her amused grin.

"What?" Malfoy scoffed. "No objections?"

She shrugged, leaving her response for him to interpret however he liked.

"What's this anyway?" The blond grumbled moodily.

"Hm?" Haley wasn't looking at him, her gaze focused on the rain that had started to fall instead.

"You didn't make this as well, did you?"

"Huh?" The girl finally turned back toward the Slytherin who was holding a chocolate candy in his hands. No. He was taking a bite off it. She didn't even register that he had taken off the mittens. Slowly, almost in slow motion Haley's eyes fell on the gold wrapping in the boy's other hand. George's toffee. Had it fallen out of her coat pocket?

"No! You can't eat that!" She exclaimed, waving her hands frantically back and forth.

But it was too late. Malfoy was already chewing on the candy.

"Spit that out!" She yelled, anxiously worrying what the toffee might do to him.

Malfoy dropped the remains of the chocolate and met her eyes in alarm. He had already swallowed. For a painfully long moment nothing happened. Then a forest of white blond hairs sprouted on his face and all across his hands. He let out a surprised cry that made her freeze, a cold feeling filling her. He tried to speak but this time he seemed to have lost his voice for real. His fearful grey eyes were one silent scream for help. Haley panicked. Shit, shit, shit. What was she supposed to do? She frantically looked for her wand, which had to be somewhere in her coat pocket…

There was a quiet meow coming from behind her. Frowning in confusion she turned around only to see a small white cat sitting where the Slytherin had been before. The cat was glaring at her, fixing its grey confused eyes on her. It seemed like she knew now what kind of effect George's toffee had. She only wished the boy would have told her. Or given her a hint as to how the effect could be reversed. Malfoy, the cat, looked at her accusingly, his tail swinging back and forth like a whip.

"Well, I didn't tell you to eat that!" She burst out at a loss for words.

The cat hissed at her, baring its fangs. Was that Cat for 'You're right. I'm sorry'? She doubted it. She had thought extra lessons with Snape would be something to worry about. Now, the Gryffindor had a much bigger problem.

…

#Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction #Fem!Harry #fem harry #girl!harry #Draco Malfoy #dreams of today #dot #My writing

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schreibfeather · 5 years

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Dreams of Today 13

Characters: Haley Potter (femHarry), Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, Rating: T Genre: Friendship/Romance, Angst, Fluff, Slow Burn Summary: Number one: Malfoy was a git. Nothing new there. Number two: He was an arrogant, annoying, little ferret. Number three: He used every chance he got to humiliate her and – and… that wasn’t right. Last year… at the Yule Ball… he had been acting surprisingly nice toward her. To be fair, Malfoy had also spent a big part of that night annoying the hell out of her… but… he’d also been… really sweet.. … Sequel to Songs of Yesterday. Haley Potter still has nightmares about that night at the graveyard. But is the nightmare really over? Luckily she has her friends to keep her from worrying too much. Her friends and… a certain Slytherin that is really bad at pretending he hates her.

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 (link to masterlist)

13 – A Christmas Revelation

In the end Haley didn't receive a present from Malfoy after all. She didn't even see him again before the start of the holidays. It wasn't too bad because she hadn't come up with an idea for a present in time. But of course the circumstances surrounding her early return to Grimmauld Place didn't provide much reason for cheerfulness. Mr Weasley had been attacked by a snake and was now resting at St. Mungo's. She had visited him along with the other Weasleys and now it looked as though he was going to be discharged in a few more days.

"Ah! So this is how you make a heel!" Hermione exclaimed, triumphantly. Haley turned her head to see what had caused her friend to say something so strange. The other girl was sitting by the fireplace with Mrs Weasley who was apparently giving her knitting tips.

"It's really not that hard once you know how to do it," Mrs Weasley replied warmly. She looked up from her needles and caught Haley watching them.

"Come sit with us, dear. The knitting is really relaxing," the older witch invited her.

"I don't know," she said slowly, "I've never really done this before."

"You should try it, Haley. It's so much fun!" Hermione agreed. Haley looked at the needles that were soaring in mid-air and slowly creating a hat or a sock or –

"Gloves!" She burst out, suddenly hit with an idea. "Can you teach me how to make gloves?" The raven-haired girl asked excitedly.

Mrs Weasley frowned. "A bit difficult for the beginning..." She tilted her head left and right thoughtfully. "But I guess it could work. Have a seat, dear." A kind smile formed on the woman's face as she patted the seat next to her. At once Haley was handed a pair of needles and a ball of bright red wool.

"I'm afraid you'll have to learn the basics without magic first. But once you've got it I'll show you a helpful spell that will make you work faster."

She started knitting simple rows at first then experimented with different patterns and after a while she found that Hermione was right. Knitting was fun. And oddly relaxing. And now she finally had an idea what she could give Malfoy for Christmas. She grinned to herself, thinking of his pale hands that were always so cold.

Before dinner Haley went up to the room she shared with Ginny and Hermione and jotted down a few lines on a piece of paper. She folded it up, scribbled the name Luna Lovegood across the top and gave the letter to Hedwig. She couldn't wait to find out what Luna thought of her idea.

…

As it turned out Haley didn't have to wait long for an answer. The following day just when she was about to go downstairs for dinner Hedwig soared in through the window with a small package attached to her leg.

"Hedwig!" Haley exclaimed, walking over to her owl and stroking her feathers, before loosening the string that kept the package in place. After filling some more treats into the bowl inside Hedwig's cage, she tore open the package in a swift move. There was a brightly coloured card on top that said Get well soon!. Haley smiled fondly. Then she found a folded up piece of paper that had her own name on top. She opened it and began to read.

Dear Haley,

Thank you for your letter! How is Mr Weasley? Is it true he's been attacked inside the Ministry of Magic?

I think gloves are an excellent idea! I'm sure our friend will like his present! Dad and I went into town today to do some Christmas shopping. We always end up doing that in the last possible second. I found something nice for you, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. Hopefully you will like it. And I also went to a wool shop where they had all kinds of wool. I found some really soft wool. From a yeti. It's said to keep the hands extra warm. Maybe you could use it for your present?

I'm already looking forward to seeing all of you again.

Merry Christmas!

Luna

Along with the letter there were a ball of light blue wool and four small boxes inside the package. Haley felt warmth surge up inside her chest. Luna was such a sweet girl. Placing the ball of wool and her letter on top of her bed, she picked up the Get well soon! card and made her way down to the kitchen.

"What took you so long?" Hermione asked, when Haley sat down next to her.

"Hedwig brought a package,"she replied, reaching for a plate with mashed potatoes.

"A package?" She asked. "From whom?"

"Luna," she answered with a shrug. "She also sent this 'Get well soon!' card. Isn't that sweet?"

"Luna did?" Ginny asked, from the seat next to Hermione's. Haley nodded, making to hand over the card to the younger girl. But before she could take it it was intercepted by Ron.

"Hey!" Ginny complained, reaching for the brightly coloured card.

""Dear, Ginny, Ron, George, Fred and everyone else,"" Ron started to read out loud. ""How are you? One of daddy's co-workers saw Mr Weasley at St Mungo's last week. I didn't know he was sick! He told me that one of his arms is injured. I really hope it's not too bad. There is this herb called armwell that I found at Healing Herbs' (That's a lovely little shop near our town!). The shop attendant said if you make tea with it or rub it onto the skin it will heal any injuries located on the arm. It's inside the little pouch attached to the card.""

Ron turned the card over and indeed there was a small violet pouch dangling from the corner of it. "Does she mean this?" He murmured, turning the card around again, before he continued to read. ""Perhaps Mr Weasley could try it? Hopefully he'll get better soon. I'm looking forward to seeing you again after the holidays! Merry Christmas to all of you! Luna."" Ron turned the card over once more and looked at the image. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "Did she draw this herself?" He mumbled, still smiling softly.

That's when Ginny reached across the table and finally snatched the card away from him in order to look at the image. It really was a drawing. A drawing of a man with red hair, sitting in a bed with something that looked like a bandage around his arm. Was this supposed to be Mr Weasley? The expression on the man's face seemed rather glum. But there was something in his hand – a mug? – and after he took a sip from it there suddenly appeared a big smile on his face. And the whole card lit up with colours and glitter. Haley snorted. This was a bit much. But also really sweet. Now she felt bad that she hadn't even thought about getting Luna a present for Christmas. Right. Presents!

"Oh, before I forget," she said. "Luna sent presents, too."

"Presents?" Ron perked up. He was always so eager where presents were concerned. Presents and food. It was really easy to make the boy happy.

"Yes. For me, Ginny, Hermione and you. They're upstairs." she confirmed.

"Awesome," Ron beamed, happily scooping up a spoonful of peas. When Haley turned to Hermione she noticed her friend's brows were furrowed like she was deep in thought. Her gaze was fixed on the card, lying next to Ginny's glass. Then she looked up at her, meeting her eyes. Unspoken questions were swirling behind her brown orbs. But with a shock Haley realised that it was almost too easy to guess what made Hermione this suspicious.

'Why does Luna send you a package all of a sudden? Why does she send us presents when she barely even knows us? And why has it been your owl, Hedwig, who brought the package?'

Haley tried to look as clueless as possible. Like she was asking herself the same questions. All the while fearing that her friend looked right through her.

…

Christmas morning was astoundingly similar to the previous Christmases she had experienced at Hogwarts. At some point Ron had burst into the room that Haley shared with Hermione and Ginny without knocking, causing Hermione to throw a pillow at him and hide behind her blankets. Haley carelessly rummaged around her trunk in search for a jumper. After Hermione put on a violet cardigan the boy was allowed back in. Ginny rolled her eyes on her bed in the corner. Usually, they compared their presents in the common room.

"So, what'd you get this year?" Ron asked, plopping down at the end of Haley's bed, barely missing her presents.

"Oh, the usual," Haley answered. "Lots of sweets, books, a brand new Weasley jumper," she laughed, holding up a bottle green jumper with a golden H in the middle. "By the way, thank you for those," she said, pointing at a huge pack of Bertie Bott's Beans.

"No problem," he said, grinning lazily. "Oh, you got one of those, too?" He exclaimed, pointing at the homework planner Hermione had got her. She nodded. "And thanks for that Broom Compass. It's amazing. I can't wait to try it out!" he blabbered on, while he sifted through her mount of presents.

"What's that?" He asked all of a sudden, holding up a tiny doll, made out of clay. It had a blank face and was no bigger than her hand.

"I'm not sure," she replied, thoughtfully, "I go it from Luna. Maybe it's a lucky charm or something? I'll ask her about it once we're back at school."

"Look, there's something written beneath the feet," Ron noticed, turning the doll upside down. And sure enough, in dwarfish letters there were two phrases engraved into each foot.

"The golem carries a valuable charm. Protects its master from terrible harm."

"How curious. Do you think it's enchanted?" She asked, holding the script close to her eyes.

"Dunno. Never heard of something like this before. Maybe it's just a weird old figure," he replied with a shrug. "You know, I also got something weird from her. Here." He presented something thin and long that reminded her of a fork from the pocket of his pyjama top. "At first I thought it was some kind of fork but… it's got only two prongs. And it doesn't even really look like a fork so…" He shrugged. Haley took the fork from his fingers and examined it for a moment. It was made from some kind of metal but apart from that she had no idea what it could be.

"It's a tuning fork," Hermione informed them, she had walked over from her bed and sunk to her knees on the carpet in front of Haley's bed. There was an amused grin on her face.

"A tuning fork?" Ron questioned. "What's that?"

"It's used by musicians. To help them with tuning their instruments. I used to play the clarinet when I was younger. I never used one myself but there was a picture of such a fork in one of my theory books."

Ron looked more than a little confused. "But… I'm not a musician? Why would I need a tuning fork?"

"I guess, that's something for you to think about," Hermione advised, raising an eyebrow and sharing a grin with Haley. "Perhaps she thinks you're out of tune with your environment."

The boy looked back and forth between his two friends, frowning. "I don't get it." He mumbled dejectedly, making Hermione burst into uncontrollable giggles. Haley chuckled as well, wondering whether the present was hinting at his lack of tactfulness. The moment was disrupted by two loud cracks coming from the open door.

"How mean of you to have a laugh without us," Fred remarked in mock-offence. George followed him into the room, both of them wearing mischievous grins.

"Yeah, what's so funny that even our Hermione is in stitches?" George wanted to know.

Fred stopped at Ginny's bed, which was opposite Haley's and looked at something in his sister's hands.

"What's that?" He asked, pointing at the small white thing curiously. All eyes turned to the red-haired girl. "Don't know," she replied. "I found it lying on the ground."

"You sure about that?" Fred asked, snatching the thing from her hands in a quick move. "I bet you got it from one of your admirers." He teased with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"It's not mine," she insisted, crossing her arms in front of her chest defiantly. She was right. In that moment Fred turned around and showed off the white thing that turned out to be a handkerchief. The handkerchief that she had got from Malfoy with treacle tarts wrapped up in it all those weeks ago. She froze. Her heart beating a mile a minute. How had Ginny found it? Why was it here in the first place? Had it been in her trunk? She didn't remember putting it in there. And even so. How had it ended up on the ground? Had it been earlier, when she had blindly rummaged through her trunk while looking for a jumper to throw on?

"I think I've seen that before." Ron said, interrupting her panicked thoughts. "Isn't that yours, Haley?"

"I..." she bit her lips, not knowing what to say.

"Yours?" Fred asked her with a grin. "Then it's you who's got a secret admirer. Who is it? Is it someone we know?"

All heads were turned to her. Haley's ribcage felt like it was going to burst any second now. They all watched her, curiosity clear in their eyes… Except for one. George. The boy's expression seemed thoughtful, pondering even.

"Is this a letter?" Fred wondered, inspecting the handkerchief carefully. "Could be an… I don't know… and M maybe?" Haley's heart stopped. "What do you think George?" He asked, handing the cloth to his twin brother.

"No way," he said after a moment. "It's clearly a B." He guessed. Wait a second. A B? He looked up for the fraction of a second and Haley could swear that he winked at her.

"You weren't holding it right," he scolded his brother, elbowing him lightly. "See?"

Before Fred had a chance to reply, Sirius hopped down the stairs, singing "Oh, Christmas Tree" in a surprisingly festive tone. He sauntered past the open door and stuck his head into the room, wishing, "Merry Christmas!" Nobody returned the greeting. That seemed to make Haley's godfather notice the atmosphere inside the room.

"What's going on here?" He asked, walking a few steps into the room. Nobody seemed to have an answer to that. Sirius walked closer to Haley's bed where all of them were gathered, when George tried to hide the handkerchief behind his back. It was too late, though. He had already spotted it. Everyone looked at Haley, silently asking her how to handle the situation.

How was she supposed to know? She wanted nothing more than to just run away from all of this. Would Sirius recognize the embroidery? Would he know who the handkerchief belonged to? She glanced toward George, for no more than a split second. Which was a mistake. Sirius followed her gaze with a frown.

"Oh, this? We were just wondering what kind of letter this could be. It's obviously a B, isn't it?" George babbled, holding the white cloth in front of him now. Sirius peaked at it over George's shoulder. Damn, Haley panicked. It' s over. It's over. I'm done. I'm –

"Yeah, it's a B," Sirius agreed. The handkerchief was in his hands now.

What? Haley looked up in surprise.

"It stands for Black, doesn't it?" Hermione realised with wide eyes, from her position on the carpet. Sirius nodded slowly. "So, this is where Haley has it from. This house," she concluded, content that she solved the mystery.

Haley nodded quickly. She was saved. She had been so scared that it would all come to light like this. Now she felt as light as a feather. She could float away in the next second.

Then Sirius cleared his throat, still looking at the embroidered letter.

"Um, Haley, would you come with me for a moment. I found something in the drawing room I wanted to show you."

There was something in his voice that sent shivers down the girl's spine. What was it he wanted to show her? Or even worse, was there nothing he wanted to show her at all? Had he just said that because he had recognized the letter? Because he knew it was actually an M that stood for Malfoy?

"Haley, are you coming?" He asked impatiently. He had already crossed the room and was now waiting by the door. Haley got out of her bed and slipped into her shoes. With every step she took toward him, dread sank deeper into her heart. When she reached the door, Sirius descended the stairs toward the drawing room. She followed him silently, feeling her lower lip start to tremble. What was wrong with her? She entered the drawing room behind her godfather, who closed the door behind her. A couple of feet could be heard stomping down the stairs and for a second Haley thought, they would enter the drawing room as well. But all of them continued on downwards. Probably headed toward the kitchen. How Haley wished she could go down and have breakfast with them as well. She took a deep breath and turned around to face her godfather.

"You know when I last saw this?" Sirius asked, a smile lighting up his voice. Wait. A smile? He really was smiling. Maybe he wasn't suspecting her after all.

"I must have been… around ten, I think? It was before I got my Hogwarts letter anyway. One day in summer, my dear cousins came to visit and… well I never really got along with them. The only one I could stand was Andromeda. Tonks' mother." He added with a nod downwards to the kitchens. "We were both not the typical Blacks… so to speak. So, during that visit – it was for Narcissa's birthday, if I remember correctly. And for some reason Bellatrix and her got into a fight, I think it was because Bella wanted to take Narcissa's cat with her to Hogwarts or something…Honestly, from what I remember these two were constantly fighting about one thing or another."

Sirius paused, staring at the ceiling, as if the memories were playing there like a film. "Anyway, Narcissa was showing off her brand new handmade handkerchief – a birthday present with her initials and ornaments and daffodils everywhere… It was exceptionally beautiful, come to think of it. I only found out later that Andy was the one who made it." He tilted his head to the side like the information surprised him still. "In any case, it was apparent that Bella was jealous of her sister's present. Narcissa had always been the most beautiful out of the three and consequently she had always got everything she wanted." Sirius walked toward the opposite wall, where a painting of a snow white cat with big blue eyes was hanging. Haley wasn't sure if she should follow him.

He continued his story in a distant voice. "Narcissa had brought her cat with her. I don't remember seeing her without the cat until this day… I think it's name… was Lady?" He shrugged, taking the painting off the wall. "I don't know what it was that Bellatrix did to Lady but the quiet and peaceful cat suddenly turned into a wild beast, biting and clawing at Narcissa who she had not so much as hissed at before that day. On top of that, the cat also tore apart her handkerchief. And this," he said, turning over the painting and removing the backing paper. There was a beautifully made piece of cloth hiding behind the painting. "This is all that's left of it."

Upon closer inspection Haley saw that the cloth was torn apart beyond recognition and you could only guess what it might have looked like before. Haley didn't know why her godfather was telling her all this. But at least it distracted her from the glum thoughts that had clouded her mind beforehand.

"Tonks' mother made this?" She asked, quietly. The needlework was truly beautiful. From what she could see.

"Yes," Sirius confirmed. "I remember how dejected she was after seeing this. I should have known it then. What a crazy witch Bellatrix was, already as a child. She seemed positively delighted at her sisters' misery. And in the end she even took the cat because Narcissa didn't want it any more. If there is one person who deserves being in Azkaban it's that woman." He concluded, his mind seemingly miles away. Haley took a closer look at the handkerchief with the B. The embroidered letter looked different from the rest of the cloth. And there were also a few flowers that seemed like they were a different kind of fabric.

Sirius seemed to notice. "That's right. Those were the only patches big enough to be rescued. She must have kept them and stitched them onto this handkerchief." Her godfather turned to her at last. "Now that you know my story regarding this… I'm really curious how this handkerchief got into your hands. Because I'm pretty sure my dear cousin didn't leave it here. If saving it was that important to her."

Haley's eyes widened. She had almost forgotten that there was another side to this story. She lowered her eyes to the ground, unable to meet his boring gaze.

"I'm sure it's a much funnier story than mine. Why don't we sit down to hear it?" Sirius suggested, walking over to the old, moth-eaten couch in the middle of the room and gestured for her to join him.

Slowly, the girl walked toward the sitting area, frantically debating what to tell her godfather. She heavily sank down into the old, uncomfortable armchair that had definitely seen better days, so she was seated more next to him than opposite him.

"So? How did you get it? Rather unlikely that you stole it from Narcissa herself… so maybe… her son? Did you steal it from him? Did he cry because he lost it?" Sirius asked in a highly amused tone, chuckling like a boy.

Haley still couldn't meet his eyes. She stiffly sat in her chair, silently wishing she was anywhere but here. An excuse. She needed an excuse. But there was nothing in her mind. It was like someone had taken a big eraser and blotted out any sensible thought from her head.

"Haley?" Sirius asked. "You took it from him, didn't you?"

It was easy really. All she had to do was nod her head in confirmation. Or open her mouth and say yes. And then invent some wild story that involved humiliating the boy no one would ever approve of.

Haley took a deep breath. There really was no other option. Say yes. A voice whispered into her mind. Yes. Just say yes. All right. She could do that. It was the easiest thing in the world.

Yes.

She had done it. Now, she was save. Now everything was good. Now it was all –

"What? Did you say no?" Sirius asked, sounding confused.

What? No! She had said yes, hadn't she? Hadn't she? At least she had wanted to say yes. But she could still get out of it. All she had to do was rectify her answer.

"Yes." Her lips formed the word without her consent. Why did she say that? What was happening? Was she possessed? Her heart was racing, reminding her of a frightened little bird. The rest of her was surprisingly calm, like she was somewhere else and someone else was navigating her body.

"What? So… how'd you get it then?" Sirius asked, not understanding what she was saying.

"He gave it to me," the voice that didn't sound like it was her own, replied quietly.

"So you tricked him or…?"

"No," Haley said, finally looking up. She didn't know where her sudden confidence had come from. And as soon as she looked into her godfather's grey, curious eyes she felt like a scared little girl again. It was a bit unsettling how much the colour reminded her of Malfoy's eyes. She had never really noticed that before. But what was she thinking? He would never understand the truth. If she said one more word, she would lose him. The realisation brought tears to her eyes, her fingers were clasped together tightly in her lap, and her chin began to tremble. She had to stop this. Here and now.

Sirius' eyes filled with worry. He jumped to his feet and knelt down in front of her. "What did that bastard do to you? Did he hurt you? I'm going to kill him," he growled. He seemed ready to jump out the window ad hunt the boy down.

Haley shook her head. "No," she whispered. "He didn't h-hurt me."

Her godfather's brows furrowed. "What is it then? You're scaring me, here," he whispered, reaching out his hand and brushing a lone tear from her cheek.

The girl sobbed, looking into his warm grey eyes. There was no suspicion in them. Just worry.

"Hey, it's okay. It's okay," he soothed, rubbing his thumb across her cheek, where more tears had started to fall. She didn't know why she was reacting like this. Was whatever she had with Malfoy that important to her? Or was she simply scared of her godfather's reaction? She just wanted him to understand. She didn't want to keep lying about something that seemed like such a big part of her life. Wasn't she a Gryffindor? Where was that bravery she always prided herself for?

"Sirius," she began in a soft tone, not knowing how to continue. "I… to be honest… M-Malfoy a-and I… we..."

He stared at her, questioningly. Haley wondered if his eyes were going to be filled with hatred and disdain within the next seconds. She placed her hand on top of her godfather's and pulled it down into her lap, where she clutched it between her own two hands. His fingers were calloused and warm. The warmth gave her hope.

"The handkerchief… he gave it to me because…" her lower lip was trembling but she had to continue. "Because we… because we've been… I've been kind of… seeing him." The last two words stole out of her mouth like they were something forbidden and shameful. It didn't feel right. She swallowed, waiting anxiously for Sirius' reaction. He stared right at her, looking like he was faced with an exceptionally difficult riddle. The silence stretched longer and longer until Haley thought she was going to burst with anxiety. Then finally the frown on her godfather's face lifted and he chuckled softly, shaking his head.

He got up and ran his hand through Haley's hair playfully. "You almost had me there." He said with a grin. "You seeing a Malfoy. That's the most ridiculous thing I heard in ages." He laughed, pointing his finger at her. "That's a really good one. I almost fell for it."

He didn't believe her. All the worrying and her own godfather thought her biggest secret was no more than a silly joke?

"It's not a joke," she said, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, right. I'm afraid this won't work a second time. Come on, I think what we both need now is a good breakfast." He remarked, walking toward the door.

Haley got up as well, a sudden anger filling her, stirred by the fact that he was treating her like a child. "I said it's not a joke. I'm serious!"

Sirius stopped, turning around to face her. "No, you're not. That's m–"

But she couldn't let him finish the joke. Not this time.

"Sirius, do you honestly believe, I made all of this up? Do you think it was all an act? The tears, the story? And for what? Just so we could have a laugh?"

Doubt appeared on her godfather's face, clearly questioning the whole situation.

"It can't be anything else," he whispered, shaking his head. "It has to be a joke. How could it be true?"

Haley walked over to the man, stopping in front of him with some distance between them.

"Because it is true. Because this is something that I wouldn't joke about," she answered quietly.

"But – how? – No, I don't believe it. You wouldn't be that stupid. You wouldn't..."

Another tear rolled silently down her face. Sirius seemed to follow it with his eyes, until it finally dropped to the carpet, leaving a tiny dark stain. She lifted her hand to touch his arm but he pulled away from her. Was that it? Did he believe it now? She tried to brace herself for the judgement that was bound to come.

"A Malfoy?" He whispered. "Have you gone mad?" He boomed. "Did you completely lose your mind? Did you forget what kind of people the Malfoys are? They're evil, Haley! All they care about is their own personal gain! They're the filthiest, dirtiest bunch of wizards that ever-"

A dull plop from outside the door made Sirius stop his tirade. Alarmed, they both turned toward the door. Sirius opened it but there was nothing to see. Nothing except a flash of pink that looked suspiciously like an extendable ear, which was vanishing beneath the stairs. Haley leaned over the railings and with a sinking feeling she recognized freckled skin, red-hair and a cheeky grin on a boy's face. One of the twins. In the darkness she couldn't make out who of the two it was.

"Guess you caught me," the boy said cheerfully, while he trudged up the stairs toward her and Sirius who snatched the extendable ear right out of his hands. As the red-head walked past them into the drawing room, Haley noticed the little mole next to his left ear. It was George. She didn't know why but for some reason this calmed her somewhat. Which was stupid because even if he tended to be the more sensible of the twins that didn't mean he was going to refrain from telling Ron about her secret. And if Sirius' reaction had been bad she didn't want to imagine what Ron was going to say.

"Oh, did you want to finish your conversation in the hall?" George asked.

Right, they were still standing in the hall. Sirius shot George a calculating look, before re-entering the drawing room. There was nothing for Haley to do but follow. Once the door was closed behind her, Sirius pointed his wand at it and mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't understand.

"Ah, making sure, nobody can overhear this time. That's thoughtful," George commented. Ah. So he had sound-proofed the room.

Sirius crossed his arms in front of his chest and turned to George. "How much did you hear?" He grumbled, his wand still in his hand.

"Oh, not much," the boy answered casually. "Just the bit about… Haley dating a certain Slytherin. So nothing new." He flopped down onto the couch lazily.

"If you tell anyone a word about this-" Sirius growled but Haley interrupted him.

"Nothing new? What do you mean by that? Did you… did you know?" She asked, replaying the events of this morning in her mind. He had been acting so weird with the handkerchief. Like he had been trying to lead his brother onto the wrong track on purpose… But why? It didn't make any sense.

"You knew?" Sirius thundered.

"Well, I only found out recently," George told them, while he looked for something in the pockets of his pyjama bottoms. "Where is it? You know, I saw you with him that night on the Astronomy tower. When was it? Three weeks ago?"

Haley froze. He had seen her? With Malfoy? Next to her, she noticed how Sirius face slowly turned red. That was not a good sign.

"You were on the Astronomy tower? At night? With a boy? With a Malfoy?" Her godfather's voice sounded more dangerous with every question he asked.

"Yep. It was definitely her." George confirmed. Haley closed her eyes. He was making everything that much worse.

"It's not what it sounds like! We weren't – we weren't doing anything!" She tried to reason with the angry man but his accusing eyes were burning with a fury that seemed unquenchable.

"You weren't doing anything?" He asked dangerously. "Well, then enlighten me what it is that you were doing at night up at the Astronomy tower with a boy."

"Well, we – we talked and..." She answered sheepishly.

"And what?" Sirius repeated, in a suspiciously calm tone.

"Oh, it was rather boring," George commented with a wink at Haley. "All they did was talk and talk until I thought I was going to fall asleep. And oh, right stare at each other in this disgustingly lovesick way."

"I did not stare at him like that!" Haley protested. Now, he was lying as well?

"Sorry, my mistake," George apologized. "That's the way he was looking at you," he added nonchalantly, his self-satisfied grin made her think of a striped cat she had once seen in a muggle book. Wait. What had he said just now?

"You should have seen it! That Malfoy may be a slimy brat and all that but man, the emotion in his eyes almost made me cry. He looked at her like she – what do they say? – stole the moon?"

"Hung the moon," Sirius corrected, tonelessly. Haley wasn't sure he was even aware he had said that.

"Right! That's the word I was looking for," the boy agreed with a laugh. "Although I think 'stole the moon' would be a much better expression. It was poetical, really, how he looked at her like he was ready to steal the moon and all the stars for her if she only hinted at it. Didn't think he was such a romantic." George concluded thoughtfully.

Had Malfoy really looked at her like that? Haley knew this wasn't the moment to think about that but the way George described it it sounded like Malfoy was madly in love with her. The thought made a familiar fluttery feeling rise up in her stomach. This is hardly the moment to daydream!, she scolded herself internally. But it was too late to stop the soft smile that had stolen onto her face.

George noticed it first, lifting an amused eyebrow. Sirius, who had been watching George contemplatively, seeming uncertain, turned his doubtful gaze to her and for a split second it looked like he was giving this a chance. But when he noticed the smile and the light flush of her cheeks something in his eyes hardened.

"The Malfoys have always been exceptionally good actors. Actually, this can be said about all the pureblood families. Well, most of them. What I mean to say is… There's a reason why the Malfoys are still walking around unpunished even though Lucius Malfoy has been one of Voldemort's most loyal followers. He knows what to say to make people believe him."

Something softened in her godfather's eyes. He placed his hand on top of her shoulder gently. "I know you're at that age where you think nobody gets you and then there's that one person who seems to understand you and you have all these feelings and you think it's going to last forever." He bit his lip. There was something sad and wistful in his eyes. "But Haley, you have to understand these are dark times. We're on the verge of a war and… as far as we know this could all be a trick. A trick to find out what our side is planning and to-"

Haley shook her head. "No," she interrupted him. "It's not a trick. He never asked for any information-"

"Not yet!" He ran his hand through his long hair in frustration. "That would be much too obvious! Can't you see that he's using you?"

Haley said nothing. Just silently returned his smouldering gaze. She didn't know whether it was stubbornness that made her react like this. But what else could it be? Why did she suddenly feel this protective of Malfoy? Why did she feel the need to defend him? If nothing else, she knew she didn't like her godfather talking about the boy like this.

"Ugh!" Sirius looked to the ground, silently nodding to himself. "I didn't want to go this far but you leave me no choice. Tell that git you won't see him any more. At once."

"Right. Do you want me to send Hedwig? I'm sure no one's going to be suspicious if I send her to-"

"Fine! Do it once you're back at school!"

"What if I refuse?"

"You'll see when it comes to that!"

"Oh, are you going to disown me?"

"Maybe I will!" With that Sirius rushed past her out the door, slamming it behind him.

As soon as the door was shut, Haley sank to the ground, suddenly bereft of all energy.

"I must say, I pictured this confrontation a bit differently," George commented from the couch. Haley had completely forgotten that the boy was still here. What did it matter now? What did anything matter now?

"He hates me," Haley whispered, her voice reflecting how defeated and hopeless she felt.

"No, he doesn't hate you."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Actually, I'm talking from experience. This was nothing compared to mum's fits of anger."

"But the way he looked at me..."

"He's worried about you. Which is kind of understandable. From his point of view. If mum was able to forgive me for that time Fred and me turned all of Percy's clothes permanently see-through, I think you're good."

"What? You turned them permanently see-through?"

"In our second year," he revealed fondly. "And Percy didn't even notice because the spell only works an hour after you put the clothes on."

Haley chuckled, despite herself. "Even so. That's harmless compared to my situation. It's not like you're fraternizing with an evil Slytherin."

"Gotta say, he's not really my type, no. You can keep him."

She snorted. It was sweet how he was trying to cheer her up. But why was he cheering her up in the first place?

"Don't you agree with him?" She asked quietly. "Don't you think it's foolish of me to give Malfoy a chance?"

There was a long pause. Then a heavy body plopped down next to her.

"Toffee?" The boy asked, offering her a toffee, wrapped in shiny golden paper. It looked familiar somehow. Where had she seen it before? Then it dawned on her. It was the same type of candy, she had found on the Astronomy tower after Malfoy and her had heard the suspicious noise. Now it all made sense. He had really been there with them. But he must have hidden somewhere.

"I'll admit, when I first saw the two of you together that night… I thought you'd lost your marbles. But it's like I said. There was something… in the way he looked at you. He seemed so… human. Nothing like the git we all love to hate. It surprised me so much that I knocked down the stupid telescope. You know which telescope I'm talking about, don't you?"

She nodded. She had found one lying beneath a window. And then there had been a cat… Carrying a toffee in its mouth.

"Wait!" She exclaimed. "You're not an animagus, are you?"

George chuckled. "You never tried the toffee, did you? When you don't have an invisibility cloak you need to find other ways to sneak around."

He hadn't answered her question. But it couldn't be, right? He couldn't have been hiding that for all these years.

"It's harmless, right?" She asked, taking the toffee and rolling it between her fingers thoughtfully.

"Completely. The only side effect is throwing up hairballs," he added with a grimace. Haley lifted an eyebrow and slipped the candy into her pocket.

"So, after I saw the two of you… snogging," he continued, wiggling his eyebrows and making her blush. "I decided to do my own research. You know, following the guy around, reading his letters and watching him, whenever he thought no one was looking."

Haley didn't know what to feel. Offended, because he had spied on her… her… well, Malfoy? Or grateful because he had gone through all of this to make sure he wasn't messing with her? Or guilty because she actually wanted to know what he had found out?

"So what's the verdict?" She said almost soundlessly.

George grinned at her in an annoyingly smug way. "That eager to know, are we?"

She elbowed him impatiently.

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you," he said with a chuckle. "So judging from the way your boy keeps stealing glances at you whenever he thinks no one is looking – meaning whenever he doesn't have to pretend for anyone – I'm honestly surprised he hasn't offered his heart to you on a silver plate."

"What?"

"Or has he? Anyway, I think the only thing you should be afraid of is him jumping you and snogging you to death."

Haley blushed even more than before "You're exaggerating," she breathed with a shy smile.

"No, seriously. I accidentally came into possession of one of his notebooks and there were so many hearts with 'D+ H' in it, I wanted to puke."

Haley bit her lips. "Stop it. I know you're making that up," she scolded but the smile on her lips grew even bigger.

"I'm not! Do you want me to show you?" He offered, making to get up.

"No, stay," she said, taking hold of his arm. Suddenly, she needed to know. "You're… You're not going to tell anyone, right?"

"You're hurting my pride," he remarked in mock-offence. "I haven't even told Fred."

This was surprising. "Why not?" She asked, curiously.

"Well," he scratched his neck, somewhat sheepish. "It's not like I think he's going to tattle… It's just… it felt like this wasn't my story to tell."

Haley felt a wave of warmth and gratefulness wash over her.

"That's awfully considerate of you," she remarked. "Do you… do you think I should tell the others?" She asked quietly.

"Is 'the others' code for Ron?"

The girl shrugged, looking at her fingers. "Not necessarily."

"Hm," George pondered, tapping his finger against his chin. "Would it be better if he finds out from you or through someone else? I think you know the answer to that." He replied. "Your real question is… how is he going to take it?"

He was right of course. She wouldn't be able to keep her secret forever. One day, she would have no choice but to tell her friends the truth.

"He's going to kill me," she said with a heavy sigh.

"Not if you turn him into a cute little kitten before he gets the chance," the boy replied with a grin that seemed so mischievous, she was afraid that her clothes were actually see-through and she was the only one who hadn't noticed. She looked down at her pyjama bottoms and jumper combo, which seemed as non-transparent as before.

George followed her eyes with an amused grin. He chuckled. "Come on. We'd never use the spell on a girl, jokester's honour," he assured her.

Haley raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"Well, except for someone like Umbridge, maybe. Now, that's an idea!"

"Merlin, no! I don't want to see that!" She retorted, shuddering at the mental picture.

"Come on. Imagine her face," he said with a carefree laugh that was so infectious that Haley found herself laughing along with him. Even if it was completely absurd.

After a while, they calmed down and Haley realised that she felt a teensy bit better about her current situation. And it was all thanks to George. It was silent for a moment.

"Thank you, George," she said, earnestly, reaching for his arm and giving it a squeeze.

"I didn't do anything," he replied, shrugging her words off.

"But you did. You're an amazing friend." She complimented him.

That made the boy in question pull his hand away and grip at his chest in shock. "What? A friend? And here I thought you were finally returning my feelings," he gasped, wiping non present tears from his eyes.

Haley laughed. "You're such a goof."

"So, they say," he agreed, grinning cheekily. Then something about his expression changed all of a sudden. "So, tell me. How far did you get with Malfoy?"

"I – w-what?" She spluttered, flustered at the sudden change of topic.

"You know," he pressed, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Besides snogging…what did you two get up to?"

"I- we didn't- nothing! - I mean-" She stammered, exhaling audibly. "Why do boys always have to be perverts?"

George shrugged, like he wanted to say he didn't know either.

"You're impossible." She grumbled but there was the hint of a smile on her lips. It felt really good to finally be able to talk to someone about her thing with Malfoy. Almost too good to be true if she was honest. But she would take what she got. What other alternative did she have? She didn't want to keep pondering about the way her godfather had reacted. About the way he had looked at her. Eyes filled with disappointment and anger. It would just make her sad.

And so it didn't cross her mind that Sirius had never returned the extendable ears to George. She also didn't wonder whether a room was still sound-proof when the person who had cast the spell was no longer inside the room. It never occurred to her that George might not be the only person listening to her stories.

…

____________________

A/N: In case you’re looking for more recent updates, please check out my fanfiction (https://www.fanfiction.net/~schreibfeather) or ao3 page (https://archiveofourown.org/users/schreibfeather). I post updates there more regularly than here!

#My writing #Fem!Harry #female harry potter #girl!harry #Draco Malfoy #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction #Harry Potter fic #dreams of today #dot #dreams of today fic #feather writes

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schreibfeather · 5 years

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Ah!!! I caught the Stranger Things Fever!!!!! I don’t even know why I enjoy it so much.

*cough* Mileven *cough* Dustin *cough* Papa bear Hopper

#I watched season 2 in two days #and today I started season 3 #shit I should really work on my paper #but the addiction is real #stranger things #seriously why is mileven so adorable?#and Steve's character development is so damn amazing #Him and Dustin together are just darling

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schreibfeather · 5 years

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Writing Fails

This is what happens when I’m tired but still want to FINISH THAT STUPID CHAPTER!:

With baited breath...

....I’m really looking for what to.....

....eating chocolate ship muffins.

You’re allowed to laugh xD

#this happens when I'm tired #I wanted to share them with you #Imagine chocolate ship muffins though #xD #writing #fails

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schreibfeather · 6 years

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Soman is a GoT fan

SPOILERS for The Last Ever After! (School for Good and Evil book 3)

Guys, remember in The Last Ever After, when the gang arrives at Guinevere and Lancelot’s cottage and Lance has trouble remembering Hort’s name? Let me give you the quote:

“What’s his name again? Homer? Hodor?“

Hodor. Hodor. Hodor!

This is not a coincidence people! I honestly laughed so hard when I stumbled over this. And then I had all the Hodor feels. Well. It was funny for a moment. This reference is so cheeky! I hope this isn’t some twisted form of foreshadowing....

#The School for Good and Evil #sge #hort #hodor #hodorhodorhodor #got reference #reading thoughts

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schreibfeather · 6 years

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Indie Jam

Let me share some amazing music with you :)

So, I’m really into Indie music and there are so many gems that everyone should listen to (imo). So, I’d like to share some of my favourites :)

The artist is called Joni and the song is called Omens. It’s such a chill song. I love it! Give it a listen if you like!

youtube

#indie #indie music #Joni #Omens #music reccs #music recommendation #chill

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schreibfeather · 6 years

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Finger Glow

So, am I the only one who is curious about the story of Agatha’s finger glow? Remember how it was orange at first and then it became gold between the first and second book? (Like the same kind of gold as Tedros’ finger glow?) In the third book it’s even mentioned by Tedros how alike their finger glows are. But then Agatha is super grumpy and dismisses it.

Like... I feel like there is a story to the finger glow. And I want to know what the story is about. Like did Agatha’s glow change because she realised she was pretty? Or because she fell in love? Can it also change again like Tonks’ patronus did? (See how I casually smuggled in a hp reference here xD)

It’s only a little detail, but I’d be interested in knowing more about it. Especially when Tedros mentioned that their finger glows were matching and I was like, yes please tell me more! But Agatha’s all like “Dude, stop checking on me. Let me wallow in peace!“

So, there was no elaborating again... I’m just... I don’t know. Any thoughts?

#sge #the school for good and evil #school for good and evil #Agatha of Woods Beyond #agatha #finger glow #agatha's finger glow #tedros #reading thoughts #tagatha #A World Without Princes #the last ever after #awwp #tlea

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schreibfeather · 6 years

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Dreams of Today 12

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | (link to masterlist)

12 – Under Stars

HALEY

The night air was cold. But the quiet surrounding the astronomy tower was peaceful. Haley pulled her warm cloak tighter around her. She was glad she had thought of bringing it.

"Are you cold?" The voice of Draco Malfoy asked lowly from her right. She had almost forgotten he was there. They had been sitting there on the edge of the Astronomy tower, looking out across the school grounds below them for a while. It seemed surreal that she could sit there next to the Slytherin and appreciate the silence of the peaceful night.

"No," she whispered almost soundlessly. His gaze lingered on her thick cloak for a moment before he looked away again. The silky robes he was wearing didn't look too warm.

"Why did we have to meet out here in the cold again?" He muttered, frowning slightly.

"You were the one who said it was suspicious if we kept meeting at the same spot. Besides, you wanted to check something on your moon chart, remember?" She reminded him.

Malfoy scoffed. "But it's December! Surely, we could have found a different place? Something indoors? Where it's warm?" He argued, completely ignoring her second statement.

Haley rolled her eyes. "It's not that cold. At least it isn't snowing yet."

He eyed her cloak once more. Almost making a show of it. She knew it was petty but somehow she couldn't just offer her cloak to him. She wanted him to ask. She wondered how long it would take until he asked.

"Maybe we can find an empty classroom next time," she added as an afterthought.

"Next time?" He echoed. His voice sounded surprisingly interested now. She saw him looking at her from the corners of her eyes. "You know… it's not long until Christmas break now."

He was right. Christmas was only three weeks away. It was already December. The last weeks had gone by so fast, it seemed like time had begun to pass twice as fast. Still, it wasn't all that surprising with all the school work the fifth years had to do. On top of that there was Quidditch and the secret DA meetings, which hadn't really given Haley much time to pause and revel at how many weeks had passed by. The little time she did have was mostly spent doing homework or going to see Hagrid or spending time with her friends. Malfoy, she had seen only in class, in the Great Hall or occasionally on the school grounds. It hadn't bothered her too much, since she still wasn't sure how she felt about him. But when Luna had slipped her a note from the boy, saying he wanted to meet up it had filled her with nervous excitement and she had agreed to come. Which is how the two of them ended up sitting on the edge of the astronomy tower on a cold winter night.

...

DRACO

Draco waited. But Potter didn't seem to get the hint. She was just staring out into the night as if there was something extraordinary about it. Why wasn't she looking at him like that? Well, it was no use. He needed to know. What are your plans for Christmas? Should he ask it like that? It was simple enough and she could just give him an answer without him having to reveal anything first. Like how he planned to stay at Hogwarts, too, in case she wasn't leaving. And how much time he had spent fantasizing about all the things they could do when the castle was almost empty and they weren't busy with school and homework all the time. He really hoped she would stay.

"So, um… are you going to stay at Hogwarts over the holidays?" Draco asked in a casual tone. He hadn't meant to ask that directly but perhaps it was for the best. There was no room for misunderstandings at least.

Potter turned to look at him. Finally. Surprise was written all over her face.

"I don't know." She seemed to think about it. "Probably not."

"Oh." He tried not to show how disappointed he was. "Well, I probably won't be here either," he replied almost petulantly. Was she going to stay with the Weasel? Or was she going to stay somewhere else? He was a tad curious but if she wasn't going to offer up the information herself, he wasn't going to ask. She would probably think he asked to spy on her or something like that.

...

HALEY

He wasn't asking where she was going to spend Christmas. To be honest, she didn't even know herself yet. But it would be nice if she could spend it with Sirius and everyone else. Malfoy seemed to be nervous about something. His fingers were tapping against his leg restlessly and he kept glancing over at her like… he was waiting for something? But what could he be waiting for? Was he going to steal her cloak? Well, she had to admit that it wasn't all that cold any more, now that the wind had receded.

"So..." Malfoy started to say eventually, "What's on your Christmas list?"

"Hm?" She hadn't expected something that trivial.

"You know… that list you make so everyone else knows what to get you for Christmas," he explained to her in a tone that made her feel really stupid.

"I know what a Christmas list is," she bit back with a glare. Malfoy simply raised his eyebrows at her mockingly and smirked in that way that used to make her blood boil. Now, she found it only mildly annoying.

"I'm impressed," Malfoy, the git he was, replied sounding unbearably amused.

"You're such a-" Haley stopped herself before she said something she might regret later. She watched him closely while looking for the right words. The smirk looked slightly forced and it seemed almost like something else was hiding behind the amusement in his eyes. She noticed his fingers that were playing around with the seams of his robes now. Those were definitely signs of nervousness. This was interesting. The expression on Malfoy's face and the movements of his hands seemed to completely contradict each other. Haley filed that information away for later. Now, she wanted to find out what the boy was anxious about.

"Why were you asking in the first place?" She asked, curiously.

"I don't know. For what possible reason might I have asked such a question?" He asked in return. He wasn't looking at her, but she could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"Were you planning… on getting me something for Christmas?" She asked, straight to the point. She didn't have the patience tonight for beating around the bush.

"I-I" He spluttered, turning to look at her with a start. He probably hadn't expected her to get straight to it.

"I wasn't – well, I-I…" Where was the cocky smirk now? The blush that was starting to colour his cheeks made Haley grin. She could barely stop herself from snorting loudly. She liked that she could turn the Slytherin into this bumbling, blushing boy. It felt exhilarating. And she didn't even have to do much.

Malfoy took a deep breath and seemed to get a grip on his composure again.

"I was merely asking out of politeness. You know, hypothetically speaking. If I wanted to get you a present…" He looked up into the night sky, pensively. "What would you like?"

It was really sweet the way he was trying to pretend this didn't matter to him when it was obvious how much thought he had put into it.

"I don't know," she replied with a shrug. "I never really got many presents so…"

"There's nothing that you want?" He asked incredulously, like she had just told him she hated Quidditch or something equally upsetting. He pulled up his leg, which had been dangling from the edge, and turned his body halfway toward her.

Well, it wasn't completely true. There was something she wanted. But she doubted he could clear her godfather's name or get rid of Umbridge for her.

So she shrugged again. "Not really," she mumbled softly.

Malfoy's eyebrows were knit together so closely they seemed like one white blond line.

"Fine," he replied with a sigh. He ran his hand through his hair that was free of gel once more. He had worn it like that a few times over the past weeks.

"What about you?" Malfoy asked after a moment.

"What about me?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Aren't you curious about my list?"

"Wait, you seriously have a Christmas list? How old are you, four?" Haley teased him. She couldn't help it. It was a reflex almost.

"Very funny, Potter," Malfoy growled, squinting his eyes at her. "How else am I supposed to let people know what to get me?"

"I don't know… You could let them surprise you," she suggested.

The Slytherin frowned. "But what if I get something I don't like?" He asked, sounding honestly confused. That boy really was ridiculous.

"You're right! What a tragedy that would be!" She remarked sarcastically. It was so easy to make fun of him in this playful way. It seemed almost natural. Effortless. And she liked it much better than the hurtful insults and jabs that had been their form of communication before. Malfoy on the other hand didn't seem to share her amusement if the dark look he was shooting her was any indication. It hadn't been too much, had it?

...

DRACO

If anyone one else had talked to him in that manner, Draco would have hexed them without hesitating even for a second. But for some deluded reason that was beyond him the girl's remarks amused him. He felt all warm and fuzzy inside at the thought that she was comfortable enough with him to tease him like that. Not maliciously but somehow… in such a familiar and friendly way.

It didn't mean he had to show her that though. Instead he scowled at her and narrowed his eyes.

"You're awfully bold today," he drawled, lifting an eyebrow. "You're not planning on throwing me off the tower and getting rid of me, are you?" He stared into her eyes intensely, unconsciously leaning closer until he could even count the lashes that framed her green irises.

Haley shook her head, slowly. Seemingly taken aback at the sudden proximity. Draco noticed her licking her lips and it took all of his self-control not to grab her face and press his own against them. He leaned backwards, creating a safe distance between them again. He had a point to make here. He couldn't let himself get distracted. There was a flicker of surprise flashing across the girl's face. Or perhaps it was disappointment. Draco told himself it was disappointment. Back to the point, Draco!

"So..." he began, studying his fingernails absently. His fingers were paler than usual. They were as cold as icicles. He really should have worn something warmer. "you don't want to know what's on my list?"

Potter snorted. "Not necessarily. I mean, it's not all that hard to guess, really."

Draco shot her a sceptical look. She shrugged. She did that a lot, he noticed.

"It's either something incredibly expensive or… a really dark and evil artefact that can only be found at Nocturne Alley."

He glared at her in annoyance. She was really pushing it today.

"Careful Potter, you don't-"

"Oh! I know." She interrupted him, something was glinting in her eyes. Was that mirth?

"What now, Potter?" He wasn't whining. Absolutely not.

"I know what you want." She replied excitedly.

What? Where in Merlin's name was she going with this?

He waited for an answer but the girl wasn't answering. She simply kept grinning at him. Then she opened the clasp that was holding her cloak together and removed it from her shoulders. Draco froze. His heart beat sped up considerably. Why was she undressing herself? Did she-? Did she want to-? Did she think this was what he wanted? Right here on top of the astronomy tower? His cheeks felt uncomfortably hot all of a sudden.

Then the world went dark. And his face was covered by something heavy and soft. He reached for the cloth that was covering his face and pulled it off him. It was Haley's cloak. Draco wouldn't complain if the earth decided to swallow him up right this moment.

...

HALEY

She had come to the conclusion that he wasn't going to ask on his own. Maybe he thought that she was cold and that's why he didn't ask. But as much as she enjoyed teasing the Slytherin, she didn't want him to actually freeze to death. So she offered him her thick woolen cloak. Well… she threw her cloak at him more than offering it. But the result was the same. After pulling the cloth off him Malfoy blinked at her, seemingly confused and shocked and also… embarassed? But why? Because she had thrown her cloak at him?

"Well, put it on," she prompted him, after a moment of silence.

"Why would I want your cloak, Potter?" He mumbled without looking at her. Haley rolled her eyes.

"Because you're obviously freezing," she explained, before adding, "And in case you freeze to death I don't want people to think I was the one who killed you."

Malfoy snorted at that. "Oh please, like you could as much as hurt a fly."

"Fine. Give it back then," She replied holding out her hand.

Malfoy hesitated. "I'm not cold," he said but while he was saying the words a visible shiver went through him.

"Knew it," the Gryffindor commented, lifting one eyebrow. The boy still didn't move. What was he waiting for, now? Was he embarrassed that she caught him lying?

In a quick move, Haley snatched her cloak from the boy's fingers and sloppily draped it over his shoulders. She blamed the late hour for her lack of patience.

...

DRACO

All of a sudden he was surrounded by pleasant comfortable warmth and a foreign smell. Well, not that foreign. He had smelled the fragrance before… Unconsciously, he took a deep breath. He smelled the soap the house elves used to clean the laundry with. But also… something else. Something flowery and also… something that reminded him of owl treats. It shouldn't have smelled as good as it did. It was her. Haley. It was her fragrance. He pulled the cloth tighter around his shoulders absently. Then he noticed that he was being watched. His fingers froze where they were holding onto the fabric. Looking up, he realised it was just Potter. Well, not just Potter. The Gryffindor was never just anything. The look on her face was positively gleeful or… no she looked definitely smug.

He scowled. He didn't like people looking at him like that. But apparently Potter wasn't done taunting him.

"See, this is why sensible people wear warm clothes when it's cold outside," she mocked him. Ah. That was a jab at his silk robes. Draco had to admit that they weren't exactly warm but they were really soft. And he looked handsome in them. Potter herself was wearing a pair of loose muggle pants and a dark green wool jumper that looked like it was selfmade. And also oddly similar to those tasteless jumpers that her Weasley friends always wore.

"Funny, for a second I thought you sounded like my mother," Draco replied dryly. Why was the thought of his mother entering his head now? He didn't want to think about his mother when he was on a date. And really, this wasn't something his mother would have said in the first place.

"Do sensible people also give away their clothes when it's cold?" He added in a bored tone. What he really wanted to ask was whether she was cold now that she didn't have her cloak any more. But of course, he couldn't ask her in such a direct manner.

"Don't worry," Potter replied. "My jumper might not be made of silk but at least it's really warm." And scratchy, he imagined. Had his question been really that obvious? Or was she simply able to see right through his mask of indifference?

"Who said I was worried?" He questioned, trying not to show his relief. "And besides there's nothing wrong with wearing silk robes. I wouldn't expect you to understand that." Draco remarked, while he pulled the cloak tighter around him, nestling into it. It was really warm. And it smelled so nice.

The only thing that was slightly irking him was the smug grin that had reappeared on Potter's lips. At least she didn't seem to be freezing. That was good. She could have given the cloak to him sooner, really. Wait…why hadn't she given it to him sooner? He squinted his eyes at her, suddenly suspicious. "So, you knew I was cold the whole time and you happily watched me suffer?"

The girl had the audacity to shrug. "Well, I wouldn't say happily but… old habits die hard, I guess."

He was scandalised. Well, well, well. Who would have thought the golden girl was holding grudges?

"Is this some kind of belated payback?" He scoffed. "Are you sure you're not actually a Slytherin?"

Potter rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something but ended up biting her lips instead. It almost seemed like she was hiding something she wasn't sure whether to tell him. Well, he had enough of her mocking. To some extent it was enjoyable. Not the mocking part but… the banter. It seemed almost friendly. But… would it kill the girl to actually give him the impression that she only slightly liked spending time with him? If that was the case. Which Draco had not an inkling on. She was almost better at hiding her emotions than him! Or perhaps it was because she wasn't feeling anything? He sighed, placing his hands on the ground next to him and looking up into the night sky.

Then he felt a surprisingly warm touch on his hand. He didn't have to check to know what it was. His skin seemed to remember the feeling of Haley's small but warm hand and his fingers curled up to greet it almost reflexively. She chuckled in a way that made him think she found his reaction amusing. He had to admit that it was a tad pathetic. But that didn't bother him enough for him to pull his hand away and go without her touch. Not when it made his skin tingle as if a thousand little ants were crawling up and down his arm.

...

HALEY

Honestly, she felt a bit bad about letting Malfoy suffer in the cold. And then also telling him she had done it intentionally. Maybe she had crossed a line there. There was a frown around his mouth as he looked up into the sky. But what could she say to make it disappear? Did she even want it to disappear? Before she could try to come up with an answer to either of these questions her hand had reached out toward him almost on its own accord. The boy seemed slightly startled by her touch but even so, he didn't hesitate to turn his hand over and take hold of her own. His eagerness made Haley chuckle softly. It was kind of cute how he seemed to refuse to look at her.

"You know… your hands are really cold," she found herself whispering after a moment of silence.

That made Malfoy finally turn to her. "Obviously," he scoffed. "It's December, isn't it?"

"I've noticed it before, though." She replied sheepishly. She was aware of how her words drew attention to the fact that she had held Draco Malfoy's hand often enough to know about his usual skin temperature.

The Slytherin squinted his eyes at her. "So?" He asked in a rather bored tone.

"Well… I've read about… some… people with cold skin," She answered hesitantly. It was a good thing she hadn't said creatures instead of people.

"People?"

She nodded. "People and… you know… well... vampires." She didn't know why she had said it. Of course, she didn't actually think Malfoy was a vampire. She had just wanted to lighten up the mood or… something. But she certainly hadn't expected him to react like this. Apart from the crease between his eyebrows the expression on his face seemed frozen. What was he thinking? Haley was just about to ask him exactly that when the boy seemed to come back to life. He chuckled once. Then he smirked at her in a way that could only be described as roguish. "So, you've finally discovered my dark secret, haven't you?"

What?

The Slytherin pulled up his other leg as well and knelt down next to her, leaning into her personal space. "I actually lured you here to suck all the blood from you and cast your dead body off the astronomy tower."

He was kidding… right?

"Come on, do you really think I'd believe this rubbish?"

"I don't know… you tell me," he drawled lazily, while he lifted her hand and slowly ran his fingers across her skin, following the path of her artery. If this was a joke Haley really didn't find it funny at all. Now he was even raising her wrist to his lips… like he wanted to bite her...

"Stop that," she muttered in annoyance and tried to pull her hand free. He didn't let her.

"Let go!" She pulled once more, this time so forcefully that she fell onto her back, pulling the Slytherin right along with her.

He blinked down at her in surprise, his elbows resting left and right from her face. Then the smirk was back again.

"Are you scared?" He asked, while pushing dark locks out of her eyes. She shook her head violently. There was no reason to be scared. He was just messing with her. There was no way she wouldn't have noticed that Malfoy was a vampire. Haley ignored her heart that was madly beating in her chest. Did Malfoy actually feel it?

"You're not actually a vampire, right? You were just kidding?" She bit her tongue but it was too late. The words were already out. Malfoy stared at her for a long moment that seemed to span several minutes. Then, finally, he broke out into loud, roaring laughter. A wave of relief washed over her. Of course, it had been a stupid joke. She was such a fool. He rolled off her and lay down on his back next to her. She wanted to scowl at him but his laughter sounded so carefree and light that she smiled softly instead.

"I think you'd have noticed if I was a vampire," the boy mumbled, still chuckling slightly. "Honestly Potter, just because my hands are a little cold? Did you pay attention during Defence Against the Dark Arts at all?"

Haley pouted. Defence Against the Dark Arts was her best subject!

"It wasn't just that! Your… your skin is also incredibly pale."

"So?" He asked, sounding awfully smug. "Did you ever actually see me suck someone's blood?"

"Well.. no but… you could have done it in secret," she replied stubbornly, rolling onto her side to face him. He didn't say anything in reply. Surprisingly. He simply watched her. The smug grin on his face was changing into something softer. His grey eyes were glimmering, all warmth and playfulness. She liked him that way. It made her almost forget that he had just made a major fool out of her. Almost. Quickly, Haley lifted her left hand and placed her fingers on Malfoy's chin. Then she pulled open his mouth and pushed his upper lip upwards. His canines were a bit pointy but they seemed like regular teeth.

"What are you doing, Potter?" The Slytherin drawled, sounding slightly disconcerted. He bit his teeth together, almost chopping her fingers off.

"Just confirming," she answered innocently. The boy took hold of her hand that was just hovering there in front of his face. His eyebrows were pulled together. Like he wasn't quite sure what to make of her. Then he snorted, shaking his head. "You're ridiculous," he mumbled softly. His words were far from flattering but his voice sounded so affectionate and sweet that he might as well have told her she was adorable or something along those lines. She didn't think she could ever get used to this side of him. How was she supposed to react to that?

...

DRACO

The girl really was ridiculous. Him? A vampire? Was she completely daft? He had to admit that it was a tiny bit cute, though. Completely ridiculous but endearingly so. He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it. It was just a hand. Nothing special. But even so, this small hand holding his filled him with undescribable joy. Because it was Haley's hand. And she was letting him hold it. He closed his eyes for a moment, basking in the overwhelming feelings that were welling up inside him. When he opened them again and saw Haley right there he was hit with the overpowering desire to kiss her. He noticed her eyes widening slightly as he scooted closer to her.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to bite you," he muttered, while he tried not to let her reaction discourage him. Haley rolled her eyes at his words. But she was definitely grinning. And then he felt a light pressure on his hand that made his doubts disappear all at once. He grinned back and leant in the last few inches that separated his lips from hers. Getting to finally kiss her again was like gulping down a cold glass of water after not drinking anything for weeks. His hand crawled over her jumper toward her back and pulled her closer to him. Her hand had found its way into his hair and the way she was gently running her fingers through his silky strands made pleasant tingles spread all across his skin, starting from his scalp. There was not an inch between them but still he needed to be closer. Rolling the girl onto her back, he loomed above her. He pulled away for a second, catching his breath. Looking down at Haley's flushed cheeks, her kiss-swollen lips and her sparkling eyes, he suddenly felt like he was suffocating. His heart felt like someone was squeezing it. She was so… lovely? Amazing? Precious? Wonderful? But he couldn't think of a word that would adequately describe her. She was so much more than any words could express. Was this love? He didn't know. He cupped her face in his hand and stroked her cheek tenderly. She leaned into his touch with a soft smile.

"I…" He started to say but he didn't know how to continue. "I… you – I…"

He gulped, taking a deep breath to try and calm his pounding heart. What was he doing? Perhaps he should just keep his mouth shout. Perhaps it was better to wait. But what was he waiting for?

Clang. Draco froze. What was that noise? Haley seemed alarmed as well.

"You heard that, too, right?" She whispered worriedly. Before he could answer she pushed him off her, firmly but not ungently, and got to her feet.

"Wait, where are you-?"

"Stay here," she instructed and ran after the noise in true Gryffindor fashion.

...

HALEY

Hearing a suspicious noise really should have worried Haley. And it did worry her but at the same time she felt relieved for the distraction it provided. She liked kissing Malfoy. As crazy as that sounded she could admit that. And she had already admitted it to herself. But… from the looks of it the boy had been about to tell her something… something that she wasn't ready to deal with yet. So she had been glad at the chance to escape his intense eyes for a moment. It was eerily quiet in the hall that opened toward the observation deck and the moonlight didn't provide much light. Where had the noise come from? She had almost reached the stairs when she spotted something shiny lying in front of one of the windows. Carefully she approached the thing and knelt down in front of it. It was a telescope. Nothing more, nothing less. She sighed in relief. Someone had probably forgotten it on the window sill during one of the Astronomy lessons and the wind had caused it to fall down. Right? That seemed logical enough. From the corner of her eyes she registered a sudden movement. What was-?

Tiny orange velvet paws came into her view then. Haley sighed again. It was just a cat. Light-footedly, it jumped onto the window sill and rubbed its head against the dark stone wall. Maybe the cat had caused the telescope to fall down in the first place. She got up and watched the animal thoughtfully. There was something caught between its teeth. A mouse? No. It was… a toffee? The cat dropped the toffee and meowed at her in a way that seemed almost disappointed. Then it hopped down again and vanished into the darkness. Haley picked up the candy and held it in front of her eyes. It wasn't a brand she had seen before. She shrugged, putting it back on the window sill again. It was just candy.

She turned around and made her way back toward the observation deck. Malfoy was already waiting for her. There was a frown on his face and his arms were crossed in front of his chest.

"It was just a cat," she informed him, her voice a soft whisper.

"A cat?" He echoed.

She nodded.

"It wasn't Filch's cat, was it?"

She shook her head. Malfoy sighed, running his hand across his face. He was probably relieved as well.

"I told you that you're annoyingly reckless before?" He asked tiredly.

"Once or twice," Haley offered with a grin. Malfoy snorted but the corners of his mouth were definitely twitching. She wondered if he was disappointed that the noise had interrupted them earlier. If he was he didn't show it.

"Maybe it's better if we head back. Just in case, you know?" Haley suggested. She hadn't brought her watch but she was sure that it was already close to midnight. Maybe even later.

"Oh," he said, seemingly surprised. "Well, you're probably right." Despite their words neither of them made a move to go.

"Um… so, about Christmas," Malfoy began, shuffling his feet.

"Yes?"

"You know… will… will we see each other before?"

"Of course. We see each other every day, don't we? In class, in the Great Hall, on the grounds..."

Malfoy scowled, squinting his eyes at her. "Don't push it, Potter."

She chuckled. Where was his sense of humour?

"Okay, okay," she relented. "When do you want to meet?"

"I was thinking, the day before the holidays begin."

"That should work. Are you going to give me my present then?"

"Your present? What makes you think I would give you a present after the way you were making fun of me?"

"Fine. No presents then." Haley replied with a grin. "That way I don't have to feel bad for not giving you anything either."

"Brilliant," Malfoy grumbled. There was a pout on his face that made Haley think he had not understood the real meaning behind her words after all. But only a second later, he took one step toward her, leaned into her personal space and softly whispered into her ear, "I'm looking forward to it."

When he leaned back there was a real smile on his face. It was beautiful. And for some reason it made her want to do something stupid like kiss him.

"Night Potter," he whispered before leaning in to quickly press his lips against her cheek. The soft touch seemed so innocent and sweet that she only stared at the boy for a second as if she had forgotten he was capable of doing something like this.

The next thing she registered was a heavy cloth being thrown at her. Oh. Her cloak.

"I believe this is yours," Malfoy drawled lazily, his smile turning into an amused smirk. Then he turned around and left the observation deck. He hadn't even thanked her, she realised. Of course he hadn't. Malfoys didn't thank people. She rolled her eyes. On her way back toward Gryffindor tower she wondered what in Merlin's name she was going to get the boy for Christmas. Maybe she could ask Luna if she had an idea.

…

#dreams of today #dreams of today fic #my writing #harry potter #draco malfoy #harry potter fanfiction #fanfiction #fanfic #Fem!Harry #fem harry #female harry potter #girl!harry #drarry #feather writes

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