#how many times had draco stood in the doorway and not dared to say anything?

[drarrily-we-row-along]

Day 40: Hesitant

It had been a slow descent in to madness, Harry reflected, as he fondly (yes, fondly) watched his completely barking mad auror partner drag in a rolled up mat the size of a living room carpet to the middle of their tiny office floor.

He watched as Malfoy looked at the office, taking in the dimensions for a moment, before casting a (rather complicated) spell that enlarged their office space enough to make room for the mat to lay out flat.

Harry couldn't help but be impressed; Malfoy had done it half a dozen times at this point in their career but expansion charms were quite tricky and (technically) weren't allowed in the ministry.

Harry fell a little further.

"Alright, Potter," he snapped. "Is this enough for your delicate sensibilities? Can we solve this case now?"

"You know, Malfoy," he said as he shrugged out of his auror robes, "A simple 'please' once in a while wouldn't go amiss."

He rolled his eyes, "Oh, please, good and gracious savior, would you please help little old me to solve the case so that you can get all of the glory?"

Harry winced. He knew Malfoy was taking the piss but it hit a bit too close to home. It always seemed like no matter what they did or how they solved the case, Robards always found some way to attribute it to Harry's abilities. No matter what Harry said to the contrary. "Malfoy-"

"Oh, don't," he said, waving a hand. "It's fine. I don't care."

"Well I care," Harry grumbled as he slipped his shoes off.

Malfoy smirked at him, "Well if you really want to make it up to me you'll hurry the fuck up and lay down on this mat so we can figure out what happened to our victim."

(More below the cut)

He groaned but did as he was told, collapsing onto the mat.

"Good," Malfoy said, stalking around Harry with all of the grace of a jungle cat (probably the deadliness of one, too). "Right arm up over your head," he instructed. "Bend your elbow a bit."

Harry did, closing his eyes and letting Malfoy's instructions wash over him. There had to be some perks of playing the dead guy.

"Right," Malfoy hummed softly, "So if you were stabbed here," he said, nudging the spot between Harry's fourth and fifth rib with the toe of his shoe, "And you were stunned. How did they manage to get so close without you pulling your own wand?"

"Are we sure he wasn't stunned first and then stabbed?"

"Yes," he replied. "Why bother stabbing someone if they're already stunned?"

"When we know that it wasn't the stab wound that killed him," Harry agreed.

"It doesn't make sense," Malfoy grumbled. "Why would I stab you, then stun you, and then kill you? If it were about the pain of your death, I'd stab you and then curse you. But stunning someone meant that they didn't want them to feel the pain."

"Maybe they were making too much noise?" Harry asked.

Malfoy shook his head, "The tracer on scene said that there was a muffliato used around the perimeter to prevent anyone from overhearing."

"It's almost like there were two different un-subs with two different motives," Harry mused.

Malfoy put one leg over him so he was standing with one foot on either side of his body, straddling his rib cage and Harry had to work very hard to remind himself that he was at work and to keep his bloody mouth closed and his hands to himself. "Say that again," Malfoy said.

"What?" Harry squeaked, worried that he'd somehow said something untoward.

"You said, 'it's almost like there were..." he prompted.

"Uh," Harry replied, circling back to that. And honestly, he couldn't be blamed for his brain abandoning him like this, under this particular set of circumstances, anyone's brain would be short circuiting. "I said, 'It's almost like there were two different un-subs with two different motives.' I think."

Mafloy stared at him for a long moment and Harry knew that he wasn't really being seen, Malfoy was mostly looking through him as he tried to process. "Two different motives," he repeated. The other man got that far off look in his eyes as he stared through Harry.

His gaze focused back in on Harry, "The one who stunned him was trying to keep him from feeling the pain," he said. "You're right, Potter, there must have been two un-subs, and our poor victim had two children who stood to inherit quite a bit."

"One of them is a squib," Harry added.

"Which would explain the knife," Draco finished.

"And," Harry said, "Explains why our victim didn't draw his wand."

Draco nodded, "Exactly." He reached down, offering a hand to Harry, which he took as he allowed the other man to pull him off the floor. "Let's go arrest some suspects."

--------

The arrest had gone... poorly, to say the least.

So poorly, in fact, that Harry had ended up in St. Mungos having multiple lacerations tended to along with a shattered rib. It had turned out that Jonas, the brother who was a squib, had rigged up booby traps and for all that they had magic, muggle technology still won sometimes.

Shattered bones weren't as easily mended as broken ones, they needed to be removed and regrown, so Harry was still in the hospital bed, trying to relax while his body regrew his fifth rib, when Malfoy arrived.

He stood in the doorway for a moment, looking drawn, and pale, and hesitant.

"Come in," Harry said, frowning a bit at the other man, "I won't bite."

Malfoy huffed and rolled his eyes, "What if I asked really nicely?" he teased as he entered the room.

"Well, if you ask really nicely, that's a different matter entirely," Harry replied, thinking there wasn't much we wouldn't do for the other man.

"Not much, huh?" Malfoy asked and Harry realized he'd said that last bit aloud, too.

"Yeah," he said softly, looking over at the other man. "I can't really think of anything I wouldn't do for you."

"Harry," he breathed, shaking his head. "What were you thinking? You almost died because you threw a shield around me first."

"I won't let anything bad happen to you. Not if it's in my power to stop it," he said.

"But why?"

Harry let out a humorless chuckle, regretting it almost instantly when his re-growing rib protested. "Are you really going to make me say it?"

Running a hand nervously through his hair, Draco replied, "Well one of us has to."

He didn't dare let himself hope that Draco meant what it sounded like he meant. This couldn't possibly be two sided, could it? "I think you're the one who's going to need to say it, then," he whispered.

"Harry," Draco murmured again, leaning a bit closer. "I'm going to need you to tell me if I'm reading this wrong."

His face was mere inches away, his eyes searching Harry's for an answer. "You're not reading it wrong," Harry replied as he closed the distance between them and brushed a soft kiss over Draco's lips, wincing at the stretch in his ribs.

"Lean back," Draco said, voice soft and warm and Harry wanted to drown in it.

He did as Draco instructed, resting against the elevated back of the hospital bed.

Draco cupped his cheek, brushing his thumb over Harry's cheekbone before leaning in and kissing him again. He kissed him slow and sweet like he had all the time in the world; like he'd done this a thousand times already and would do it a thousand times more.

A cheer from the doorway had them both jumping and turning to see that Ron was standing there.

"Err-" Harry started.

"Finally," Ron said emphatically. "Sweet Merlin, we were starting to think it was never going to happen. And you perfect idiots helped me to win the office betting pool!"

"Sorry?" Harry said, looking a Draco who looked equally confused.

He grinned and came in with the takeaway bags, "I always knew it was going to be after Harry got hurt keeping Draco safe." Then he frowned, "You did just get together, right? Like it hasn't been in secret? Because if it has, could you lie and say it hadn't so I can win-"

Draco rolled his eyes, "Yes, we're just realizing that the other feels the same. Don't worry, you've won."

"Excellent," Ron beamed, "Hermione and I have been working really hard on saving a down payment for a house and this ought to cover it."

Harry blanched, "How much is the betting pool?"

He lifted a shoulder as he handed Harry a box of lo mein and Draco a box of sesame chicken, "A little over 2500 galleons the last I knew."

"2500 galleons?!"

"Yeah," Ron replied, "You wouldn't believe how many people wanted in on the betting." He grinned at them, "Everyone was sure that you'd end up together so it was just a matter of how."

"And no one thought to tell me?" Harry asked incredulously.

"We've been tiptoeing around each other for literal years," Draco added.

"Well," Ron said, around a mouthful of fried rice, "When something is inevitable, it's inevitable."

---------

Day 39: Confess | Day 41: Embrace

[harrysweasleys]

christmas lovin’ // d.m

Summary: Oh hi!! Idk if your requests are still open but if you could, could you write a hufflepuff reader x draco post war?? In which they think that the other one doesn’t love them (THE PINING! THE LONGING) and they bake, and read together? With feelings being confessed? If you can’t it’s totally okay!! love your fics btw!

Warnings: none. so soft.

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: sorry to those still waiting for their request to get written. my inbox is crazy and my request list is hella long so i’m trying my best. hope you enjoy this soft fic!! xoxo

————————————

“Oh, come in, it’s freezing outside!” you grasped Draco’s shivering figure lightly by the shoulder and ushered him into your apartment, dusting the snow off of his hair and his shoulders as he placed his hands over his nose to warm it up, “Sorry I made you wait so long in the cold, I couldn’t hear you knocking in the kitchen.”

“No worries,” he shrugged off his coat and hung it by the door as you locked it shut, “I’m indoors now and that’s what matters.”

He smiled at you, the fluttering in your heart already beginning at the gesture. He removed his gloves and placed them in his coat pockets, proceeding to remove his shoes, kicking the snow off of them and nearly placing them by the doorway, a proper habit of his. He never left anything scattered anywhere.

“Something smells good,” he stepped off the carpet with his emerald green wool socks and closer to the fireplace in the living room, placing his hands in front of it and warming them up, “What’re you making?”

You flushed, pointing to the kitchen counter, “Christmas cookies. They’re my mum’s recipe. It’s a family tradition. I kind of need that, especially this time of year.”

Draco senses the sadness in your tone, stepping away from the fireplace and pulling you into a hug, “I know. I’m sorry. I’m here for you, though.” You could feel the warmth on him from having stood by the fireplace seconds before, but it was comforting. Despite having the fire going, you were still cold.

In the aftermath of the Second Wizarding War, you felt like you had lost everything. You had spent all of your years in Hogwarts learning how to be the best possible witch you could be, but when faced with the actual dangers that lurk in the magical world, you struggled coming to terms with what happened.

You felt like you owed your life to Draco, in a way. Neither of you were overly close in school, but he had saved you from a curse when you found yourself otherwise distracted. After that, you couldn’t let him leave your life. After all; how are you supposed to forget someone who saved you?

His company was comforting, safe, and a reminder of how precious and important every moment in life was. He brought you happiness and you did the same for him — there was no doubt about that. Every time he was over, you would forget about the outside world and solely focus on him in that moment. Whether you were watching a film, making dinner, cleaning, it didn’t matter. When he was in your presence, he was all you could focus on.

He would stop by your place nearly five times a week. You both dealt with so many mental and emotional traumas post-war, and your found comfort in each other. To the point that you’d find yourself missing him mere seconds after he left. He’d leave in the evening after spending the day with you and you’d find yourself going to bed wishing he was closer to you.

Safe to say, you’re in love with him.

You pulled away from the hug and nudged your head in the direction of the kitchen, “Do you wanna make them with me?”

He tilted his head to the side, furrowing his eyebrows, “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose on a family tradition.”

“You’re not! I’m all alone, come with me,” you linked your hand in his and led him into the kitchen, where the dough was complete and the cookie cutters were messily thrown around the counter, “Put on an apron.”

He chuckled and looked over to where you kept the aprons hung, “Hm, I’ve got an option to wear one with little blue flowers, or one with yellow butterflies. Well, I think the blue flowers bring out my eyes.” He joked, pulling the one with the flowers off the hook and putting it on, twirling as if to model it. Somehow, even in a silly apron, he was the most breathtaking person you had ever seen.

“You look quite dashing,” you grinned, looking him up and down. He always had looked really good. Even when you were a young Hufflepuff, Draco’s natural charm and suave attitude had caught your attention.

“So do you,” he pointed to your apron, the giant red letters saying ‘kiss the chef’ written across it, “Very fashionable.”

The heat rose to your cheeks at his teasing smirk — you had forgotten about the childish words written on apron you were wearing. In hindsight, considering your feelings for Draco, this might not have been the best apron to wear.

“Just come help me bake,” you shook your head to sway from the playful conversation, moving over to give him some counter space next to you, “You do know how to bake the muggle way, right?”

He gazed off at the wall as if trying to remember before he nodded slowly, “Actually, yes, believe it or not. Made some with mum many years ago.” You noticed the sad smile he gave you, your beard aching for him. He had a falling out with his parents after the War and he hated talking about them. It was your ultimate goal to avoid mentioning them, so you took control of the conversation once more.

“Here,” you handed him a Christmas tree cookie cutter to bring him back to reality, “Make some trees.”

He chuckled, taking out a bit of the dough and rolling it in his hands, laying it out in the floury mess that was taking over the counter, “What shape do you have?”

You did the same, rolling a ball of dough and laying it out flat on the countertop, “Reindeer. Oh — and I have the best icing colours.”

“Well guess I’ll have to stuck around and you’ll have to show me these icing colours to prove your point,” he smirked, slowly beginning to produce some Christmas tree shaped cookies, placing them gently on the cooking tray you had placed in front of the both of you.

You flushed again, focusing your energy on cutting the cookies perfectly in attempts to not become too overwhelmed by the way he seemed to effortlessly flirt. Was he just always a natural flirt? You kind of hope he meant it, but you wouldn’t admit that out loud. Somehow, baking was becoming more of an intimate moment shared between you two and you never wanted it to end.

After filing up the tray, you placed it in the pre-heated oven and closed the door, marking the timer and grabbing another empty tray, “What shape do you want now? I’ve got snowmen, snowflakes, Santa hats... anything you can think of.”

You placed the tray down on the counter and pushed the box of cookie cutters in his direction, giggling slightly at the way his eyes widened.

“How many cookie cutters do you have? Bloody hell,” he chuckled, taking some of them out and analyzing them with a hint of amusement in his eyes, “Oh, wait. I like this one.”

“The cat shaped one? It’s not even Christmassy!” you laughed, rummaging through them as well and pulling out the Santa hat shaped one for yourself.

“I can make it Christmassy with your ever-so-colourful icing,” he winked at you, sending your heart into a frenzy. You momentarily forgot how to breathe.

He retuned to rolling the dough as of unaware of his affect on you. His usually tidy platinum hair was hanging in his forehead, lose stands dangling as he continued to cut the cat-shaped cookies, eyebrows furrowed in concentration in attempts not to mess up the shapes. You were worried he wasn’t enjoying himself, but every time he placed a new cat-shaped cookie on the tray, he’s grin proudly, telling you that he was in fact having a good time.

You were so distracted by his good looks that you almost forgot you were making cookies as well.

“Alright, done!” he clapped his hands, flour clouding off of them and into his hair and face. You stopped your cutting, clutching your stomach in laughter as he tried to wipe the flour off of him, coughing as it went up his nose, but making it way worse. Smears of white flour were now in his hair, cheeks, and nose.

“Priceless,” you struggled to catch your breath while laughing, lifting your hand to wipe even more flour across his nose, laughter not dying down when he turned to glared at you.

“How dare you,” he scowled, struggling to hide his own laughter, “That’s not fair. I have to retaliate.”

You stopped laughing, trying your best to give him a stern look, “How? I already did all the messy work. Can’t catch me off guard.” Placing your hands on your hips to emphasize your point, his eyes darted around your kitchen in search of something to do. You had thankfully put away the eggs and milk and other ingredients, so unless he went searching through your fridge and pantry, he wouldn’t find anything else to douse you with.

“Can’t catch you off guard?” he scoffed, stepping closer to you, “I beg to differ.”

You nearly choked on your breath from the immediate closeness, his body heat enveloping you to the point where you weren’t sure if you were warm because of him or because your nervous heart was thundering away.

You could smell him — the mixture of mint and cookie dough was intoxicating. He had always smelled good, but it took your breath away every time.

“How so?” your voice was soft, luckily covering the nervous tone. You wanted him to kiss you, to pull you close to his body and hold you forever. His hugs had always been unmatched, you could only imagine how good his kisses were.

Fortunately, your thoughts were confirmed as he leaned down and whispered, “Like this.”

His eyes fluttered shut and he placed his lips against yours, kissing you as if he had been waiting to do so for years. As if you were everything he ever needed. You kissed back immediately, melting into his touch and becoming weak in the knees. You felt like you were floating; the feeling of his lips against yours was unreal. He was loving, gentle, everything you thought he’d be.

You couldn’t help but feel as if everything you had been waiting for had come into play. You pined for him, longed for him, and you finally got to have the connection you had been waiting for. You’d never admit to him, but you had imagined what it would be like to kiss him. You’ve imagined the feeling of his lips moving in sync with yours, passion overcoming the two of you like a tidal wave. It was safe to say it was way better than you’d imagined.

His hands gripped your waist lightly as he broke the kiss, his flour-covered face smirking down at you, “Caught you off guard yet?”

You smiled, breathless, “Y—Yeah, I’d say.”

He kissed your nose lightly, shooting your a wink and turning back to continue the cookies you hadn’t cut due to your distractions. You felt frozen in your place, as if the events that just unfolded couldn’t register in your mind.

He had just kissed you. Kissed you.

“What’s wrong, love?” he chuckled, turning to face you with a knowing smirk after he cut the rest of the cookies, holding the pan in his hand to place in the oven.

“You kissed me,” you said, sounding exhilarated. You thought you sounded pathetic but your mind felt so distant and afar that you couldn’t mask a calm tone of voice.

He placed the cookie tray down, “That I did. I’ve been waiting to do that for a while, actually. Don’t laugh, but I’ve always fancied you. You’re so sweet, just incredible. And you’ve let me into your life, making me the luckiest person ever.” He had said it so casually, but his eyes held every bit of sincerity. He gazed down at you with a level of adoration you had never seen before.

“You have?” you gaped, heart still aflutter in your chest, “I—I’ve been waiting for you to do it too, actually. Almost did it myself a few times. I’ve fallen for you, and laugh if you want, but I’m so relieved you finally did that.”

He was now positively beaming. He placed his hands on either side of your face and leaned in to kiss you again.

——

Nearly an hour later, all the cookies were baked and you were comfortably nestled on the couch. The fireplace was warm, the blanket surrounding the two of you was soft, and the plate of cookies on the table in front of you was delicious.

You were reading a book silently, leaned up against Draco’s chest as he twirled a strand of your hair in his fingers, occasionally pressing a delicate kiss to your temple as you delved into the story in front of you. Each time he did it, your entire body got covered in goosebumps — it was a feeling you wanted to experience forever.

Draco wasn’t reading, but he was perfectly at bliss with you in his arms, head against his chest, and the warmth enveloping you two as the snow continued coming down outside.

You reached over, grabbing another cookie and taking a bite and being careful not to get crumbs all over your pages, decided to check the clock above the fireplace, “It’s late, Draco, I just realized.” You felt a little fluke noticing how late it was. You didn’t want him to leave. The evening had been the closest thing to perfect you had ever experienced.

He chuckled, placing another kiss to your forehead, “I know. I don’t want to leave though.”

Flushing, but agreeing, you closed your book and placed it on the table before turning around to face him, readjusting the blanket so you were both still cocooned, “Unless — I don’t know — do you want to stay the night? You don’t have to, but we could stay in bed and be warm and cozy and—,”

He cut you off by placing his lips on yours, rendering you speechless before pulling away and mumbling against your lips.

“Thought you’d never ask, love.”

[fallin-4-ya]

The Follies and Vices of You

cedric diggory x reader- part iv of series 

based off the novel and film ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen

summary: Being the beloved sister of the incredibly wealthy Mr. Potter, you felt no need to rush into marriage. But one day, when you come to meet a new acquaintance, the proud Mr. Diggory, your views of love and follies change.

warnings: a bit of angst & tension! (gif is not mine, credit to owner!)

part i, part ii, part iii, part iv, part v

‘Maybe it’s that I find it hard to forgive the follies and vices of others, or their offenses against me. My good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.’ -Jane Austen 

The month of January passed dreadfully slow, as you waited for something interesting to happen. As the snow fell softly onto the ground, thoughts wondered through your head rapidly, most of them involving Mr. Diggory. In fact, he occupied your mind most days. How dreadfully awkward that poor man is, you pondered, and yet how confident. His character never made sense to you, as awfully as he appeared on the outside, you could tell there was much beneath his many layers. But your thoughts were soon interrupted by a knock on the door, it was the post.

‘From Miss Ginerva, Miss Y/N.’ You smiled and nodded thankfully. Excited, you ripped the letter open and the inside read,

My Dearest Miss Y/N, I hope my letter find you very well. How dreadful these past few days have been, for all of this snow has made me think of nothing besides summer time. I was invited to stay at my brother Bill’s until the end February; Miss Hermione Granger will be attending alongside me, to encourage sisterly bonding. I am sorry to hear that Mr. Malfoy has resided back to his home up north, but I do hope that he continues to write you such pretty verses. I shall be home before the flowers bloom. Be well.

Much love, Ginerva

You sighed thinking of how even more boring the next few months would be without the company of a most dear friend. 

Now that Mr. Malfoy was sent back home, the house was quieter than ever. Between Harry managing the estate, Sirius writing business proposals and Mr. Lupin locked up in the library; you felt most unentertained and gittery. Letters began being sent to you the day after he left, expressing a fondness for you, which kept your boredom to a minimum. You thought long about the letters exchanged between you and Mr. Malfoy; Ginny was certainly right in saying the verses were beautiful. She also urged you that there would soon be a proposal on the line if he kept with the letters, though you secretly hoped it wouldn't be anytime soon.

The next evening, to much of your excitement, you were joined by Mr. Fred and George Weasley for dinner, who were in the company of nobody other than Mr. Diggory. Reaching a hand out for each of the Weasley men, they took it graciously planting a kiss upon it. Extending out to Mr. Diggory as well, he ignored your gesture and simply bowed in your direction. After the questionable gesture from the latter of the men, you lead them to the dining room, where the rest of your family awaited.

The evening was going splendidly, much laughter and wide smiles reigned. That was, until a letter arrived addressed to you from Mr. Malfoy. You excused yourself from the table, to retire to the parlor to read it.

Blushing profusely and smiling at the beautiful verses addressed to you, unaware of the floorboards that creaked viciously behind; you sat on the armchair nearest the window of the parlor. You heard a throat clear at the doorway and shot your head up.

 ‘Mr. Diggory! I am so sorry, I mustn’t have heard of your following.’ Humming to yourself, you gazed out the window, ‘I do love this time of the year, Mr. Diggory. The snow is nothing short of lovely.’

‘Yes, Miss Potter, I do agree that the snow is very beautiful but I must interject and beckon you about some-‘

‘He’s thought to propose, you know. Mr. Malfoy that is. Quite strange, isn’t it; how young girls go to young women with only a proposal.’ You unknowingly interrupted in your dream state.

‘Miss Potter, I truly cannot help but to interject; however, there is a matter of urgency I’d like to discuss.’ Mr. Diggory huffed. Being pulled out of your trance, patience grew thin, you turned your head and snapped, ‘What is it, Mr. Diggory, that you feel so inclined to interrupt me for?’

‘Its addressing Mr. Malfoy. You see I am afraid I must interject on a most sensitive discussion topic.’

‘If you have anything negative to say about Mr. Malfoy, I must urge you that I'm the last person who would be inclined to hear it! And if you have some here to ruin my evening, I am afraid I won’t allow it.’ 

With that you grabbed your coat and trekked out into the falling snow. Footsteps not far behind you, you sped up; unwilling, or rather unwanting of hearing what anybody had to say. The crunching of snow only following you farther, as you followed the angelic pathway to the stone pavilion in the graden. You threw your back against the wall, sighing out deeply. Without a moment of peace Mr. Diggory entered your presence.

‘You cannot marry him’

You were taken aback by his sudden bluntness. Exasperated by his cultivated occurrence of strange actions you cocked your head at him.

‘May I ask you why, Mr. Diggory?’

‘The Malfoy family is least cordial, completely unattached and deranged from society. They are completely unsuitable for a family such as yours.’

‘A family such as mine?! Have you come here to separate an engagement or to insult my family, Mr. Diggory? Or rather, does your sudden interest in my affairs have anything to do with your dislike towards Mr. Malfoy; because believe me, Mr. Diggory, I know well of your disputes with the poor gentleman and will not stop an engagement from happening due to your pride and arrogance.’

‘No, Miss Potter! You know perfectly well that I find your family most respectable. I just find their family uncommony stiff for your reckless behavior.’

‘Reckless behavior! How dare you insult not only my upkeeping but a personality of another. Have you forgotten the follies and vices of you, Mr. Diggory? For who are you to judge another?’

‘Miss Y/N, has it ever occurred to you that you may be too harsh on me or perhaps my light on you may have been caused by the misjudgment of one’s character? I beg of you to enlighten me on why you find me the most disagreeable man.’

‘Well then, I beg you, Mr. Diggory, why you wish to separate a young couple who have grown quite fond of each other?’

‘Because I love you.’

There was a lull and Mr. Diggory halted. ‘I love you most ardently and I could not have you go another day more without you knowing of the likeness I have for you.’

You stood in silence, snow falling ever so godly on you both, speechless. Words clouded your mind, and you wanted to scream, and cry, and love, and erupt all at the same time. But rather than doing any of them, you looked back on him with a haze in your eyes.

‘I would not marry you if you were the last man in the world.’ You said walking away, allowing a tear slip silently from your face.

The next day there was a knock on your bedroom door early in the morning. Mr. Diggory walked in humbled and shy, ‘Miss Y/N, I’ve come to leave this for you. I hope you do me the honor to read it. Thank you much for your time.’

You had not even reached his gaze, for he spoke for too quickly and you were far too angry. Staring at the enveloped with a tear stained face for nearly an hour, you decided to open it.

Dear Miss Potter,

I hope my letter finds you in good health. I do not wish to impose on you again what I have said last night; for I am writing to you today not to remind you of said words, but rather converse upon the accusations you have brought upon me. I urge you that everything in this letter is the truth and have many to testify upon it.

Mr. Draco Malfoy and I had been connected since infancy, for his father, Lucius, and mine worked exceptionally close together. However, as Mr. Malfoy grew he became reckless; he gambled a large portion of his father’s money away and took no responsibilities seriously. Soon thereafter, his father wrote him out of his will, leaving nothing to his son. Mr. Malfoy became desperate for an inheritance; my father later offered him a job which he begrudgingly took. However, not more than seven months of work, he confessed a most passionate love to my sister. It did not take long for us to realize that he was only after her fortune for she was to inherit seven thousand pound a year. She was thirteen at the time and utterly heartbroken.

When my sister had gotten sick mere months later, my mother and I moved to London alongside her to get the best medical help. Unable to access our money without my father present, Mr. Lucius graciously lent us the sum of the bills. Unfortunately, my sister passed with just two months of treatment; she was truly a remarkable young woman. After the mourning, we paid what was due back to the Malfoy family; but for Mr. Draco Malfoy it was not enough. He hounded me for more money; knowing his dispositions I had given him the sum of his ask in hopes that he would become something of himself. He gambled the money away in two weeks. After that, I refused to give him anymore money, cutting him off for good.

Miss Y/N, I am terribly sorry to force the burden of the truth onto you, but I just felt that you ought to know. Please do keep the affairs containing my sister private, as I believe it be a disgrace to her memory to attach her name to one like his. Thank you for the time we have shared.

Yours, Mr. Cedric Diggory

(author’s note: oh my goodness! end of part 4!!! ending on a bit of a cliff hanger... i can't wait for you all to read the final chapter, which will be out soon! as always, let me know if you’d like to be part of this tag list! thank you as always for reading!)

tag list: @freddieweasleyswife @truly-insatiable @annasdani @mullthingsoverinthehotwater

[dracosearlgreytea]

indelicate marks (16)

indelicate marks: chapter sixteen - the admission

A/N: okay, i know it has been months, but i am back with another chapter! this fic has got a little attention over the weeks and honestly, all i can say is THANK YOU SO MUCH. i love to see people enjoying my work more than anything in the world, and bless you all and your patience for waiting for the next part. i am hoping to post a new chapter within the week! please feel free to drop by my inbox with any questions about the fic! i love you all very much - ivy <3 

warnings: language, very mild descriptions of scars, nsfw implications, punching, a little spicy drama

lovely tags: @h-annahayy @okaydraco @fanficflaneuse @thatoneasrastan @biinspiration @honeymelon22 @bitch-im-a-fangirl @erinisbadger @strawberriesonsummer @accio-rogers @candune @contentobsessor @darinaioana @bbeauttyybbx @letssingintherain

indelicate marks index 

And so the weeks began to slide by more easily. Ignoring the ominous words Draco had offered you that night was easier than trying to decipher them. That, you had more or less figured out in the first week of trying. In fact, ignoring most things that festered away and gave you that constant sick feeling was easier than having to acknowledge them at all. Not bringing them up to the boy you continued to meet more and more also appeared to be easier, and for a while, it stayed exactly that way. Until, that was, he went missing again. You'd agreed to meet at the classroom during your joint free period of the day. With Draco's 'task' growing only further demanding, nightly meetings were much more rare. Instead, you stole your moments with him throughout the day - although, you avoided broom cupboards. This time, his disappearance was much more concerning. Whilst doubt lingered from the last time Draco managed to vanish, you were quite sure that things between you were okay. You hadn't argued. You hadn't even pushed for more information on his involvement with the Deatheaters. By lunch, you knew something was wrong. Shaky, you sat at the end of the Slytherin table. It was summer, and the weather was nice, so most students had opted to go sit outside or take a trip to Hogsmeade, leaving the hall almost empty. What bothered you, however, was that Pansy Parkinson and the rest of Draco's 'gang', were sitting unnaturally quiet a few benches away. Parkinson did look particularly disgruntled, hair a mess and skin a shade paler than usual. You waited for as long as you could stand it, hands twitching as you stared at your plate, food untouched. The thoughts inside your head were loud, and sickening. If something had happened to Draco - did someone find out about his mark? Did Lestrange find him in my thoughts back in Easter? Fuck, Draco, where are you - Parkinson stood, as did the rest of the Slytherin group. Without a second of reluctance, you shot out of your seat. Anxiety clawed at your throat, but you bit it back, calling her name before you could change your mind. "Parkinson!" She paused. Pansy didn't even glance at you the first time, and for a second you thought she was going to ignore you. But, then, she turned, eyes flashing with a concoction of hostility and surprise as they met you. "Uh - Y/L/N?" Her eyebrow arched, scanning you with her renowned glare. Self-conscious washed over you as she did so, but you kept your features steely. "Can I help you?" "I - yeah." You stumbled, inwardly cursing. The group that usually gravitated around her and Draco had paused, putting you on the receiving end of several dangerous stares. Pansy was silent, only watching you with her perpetual, irritated look. "Just wanted to know where Malfoy is - that's all." "Draco?" You noticed the way she froze for a second, before you registered his name on her lips. Quick, you nodded, glancing back at the group, who seemed to be inching back towards you. Heart rate frenzied, you eyed Pansy with what you could only label as a pleading expression. Her eyes narrowed, suspicious. "What the hell do you want with Draco?" Oh, shit. "I gave him my Potions essay for him to copy off." You lied, hoping it came smoother than it sounded. Pansy's face stayed eerily set, almost reminiscent to the way Draco appeared most the time. "I need it back." Pansy was silent, again. "Pansy!" Blaise Zabini yelled from the doorway, shooting you a look as you stared at them. "Hurry up." Pansy didn't even acknowledge him, still scrutinising you. Then, she took a small, but intimidating step forward, setting you with a hard, guarded look. "You're a good liar." She muttered. "But you're behind on school gossip." You stayed silent. You didn't trust yourself not to have a complete breakdown there and then if you opened your mouth. Finally throwing a glance over her shoulder, she returned to look at you in a swift motion. "Potter cornered him in the bathrooms. He's in the hospital wing." No. Teeth grinding together, you stared at her, sharing a look between you. It was an odd feeling, hot, in your chest. The terror of not knowing exactly what had happened to Draco, the rage at Potter, and - and the unusual relief in the understanding of Pansy's eyes. Perhaps it was a skill she had, appearing like she knew everything, every little piece about you. Yet, the glint of recognition in her gaze told you otherwise. Before you could speak, she had turned and strode back towards her group, leaving you alone by the Slytherin table. It took you a second before the realisation of Draco's injury set in. Then, you were launching yourself down the corridors, straight to the hospital wing. "Miss Y/L/N?" Madame Pomfrey called as you rushed in, setting your rather terrified eyes on the professor. You knew her well, by now, after so many visits - you had no reason to shy from her temper. "Draco Malfoy." You said, without a second of hesitance. A bed at the far corner of the hospital wing was cornered off - whatever had happened in the bathrooms clearly wasn't a secret amongst students. How the hell did I miss this? "No visitors." She spoke with a firm tone, setting her eyes on you as you had to take in a breath. "You know I wouldn't come here for just anyone," You murmured, drained. The emotion, and worrying must have shown on your expression, resonating in the way her eyes softened in the slightest. "No visitors, Miss Y/L/N. I can't make exceptions." Stubborn as ever. "Then - I - is he okay?" "Yes." She sighed, lips dragging down in the slightest. "He'll live, dear. Now, please make yourself scarse, before Professor McGonagall thinks you're causing a scene." Madame Pomfrey began to gesture you back to the doorway you had sped through. Yet, before you could bite them back, a last, desperate attempt spilled from your mouth. "Can you at least let him know I tried?" Her lips etched further down in the tiniest. Your heart murmured in disappointment - but, as you were about to give in hope, she gave you a singular, firm nod.   "Fine. Now, out of my hospital wing, girl." The tone of her voice was enough for you to know you had pushed her to her limit. "Thank you." Your reply came as a breath you weren't quite sure was at all audible, soon to make it back out of the hospital wing. Draco was at least getting tended to - and Madame Pomfrey didn't seem too stressed. All good signs that whatever had happened wasn't too drastic, at least. Still, that persistent nausea remained, stubborn. You were definitely not in the mood for a mind numbing lesson of a History of Magic, that was for certain. The Classroom it is. At least if Draco gets out of the hospital wing I'll know if he stopped by to see me. So lost in thought on the way to the classroom, you could have almost missed it. The three famous faces of Hogwarts, huddled together, but speeding towards what you assumed would be the Gryffindor common room. If you'd have been paying more attention, maybe you would have noticed Harry Potter's laboured, terrified breathing, and Hermione's furrowed brow. But they didn't need to have been wearing Gryffindor robes for you to see red. For once, you didn't feel your usual jittering anxiety. You didn't weigh up what your actions would mean, what your reputation would do. Your strides became quicker, poised. Fists curled up, you bared your teeth and let out a yell. "Potter!" He didn't even turn to look at you. No, it was his two bodyguards that spun. Expressions tired, they looked ready to face another barrage of questions from nosy students, only to drop. Hermione's eyes lit up with panic at the sight of you, most likely looking a little deranged. Her lips shifted to say something, but your thoughts were too loud. He hurt Draco. He hurt Draco, and now I'm going to hurt him. Harry turned to face you at the last minute. Bringing back your arm, you swung your fist directly into his face. "Don't you fucking dare touch him again!" Your voice didn't even feel like your own as you glared down at Harry. He stumbled back, Ron quick to his aid and preventing his fall. "Y/N-" "No, Harry Potter, you fucking listen to me." Hissing, you pushed Hermione away from you as she attempted to pull you back, despite Harry's lack of retaliation. "You stay away from me, and you stay away from Draco." Your eyes glinted, taking in every inch of shock across his face. "Or I will do a lot worse than give you a black eye." "Y/N, go." Hermione urged, gaze pressuring and a little dangerous. It was only then that you realised there were a lot more eyes on you than you once noticed. All around the corridor - students of every year, every house. Staring. Whispering. Jaw grinding together, you threw another glare at Harry for good measure. Then, you stepped back, getting away from the corridor before anything could escalate. For once, there were no scalding, angry tears to follow your mistake. There was no pounding heartbeat, or panicked breathing. For once, as you made your way to the classroom, there was only the sting of your knuckles. And, the odd satisfaction of knowing you'd at least done something for Draco. You'd stood up for him, like he'd stood up for you - and whilst, yes, there was also the concern of him being angry at you for doing so - you knew it was all you could try and do. If Draco was going to get himself killed, you'd be there to try and prevent it to any measures necessary. You'd been sat at the window ledge for hours when Draco finally made an appearance. Dusk was setting in, casting the room that warm orange you felt so comfortable within. The moment the door clicked unlocked, your heart jumped, and before you could rush to the door he was already pushing it open, eyes locking with yours instantly. Swallowing, a second of silence settled between you. There was a million words coming to mind, yet they vanished. All you could do was take in the note of his familiar grey-blue gaze. "Evening." Finally, he spoke, twitching a corner of his lip upward as he slipped into the room and locked the door behind him. That. That was all it took. "Draco Lucius Malfoy, you complete and utter idiot-" You'd scrambled to your feet in a second, eyes darting all over his body as you marched towards him and pulled him into a less than gentle embrace. Draco let out a grunt, but then you pulled back again, setting a hand either side of his face. "What the fuck did you do? Merlin, are you alright? I've been fucking worried sick about you all day, I had to speak to Pansy bloody Parkinson just to find out where you are-" Draco's lips cut you off, his own hands coming to rest over yours. Your heart leapt as he did so, and despite his cool skin, you flushed warm. Every little bit of stress dissipated at the action, swiped away by his touch. Pulling back, he prized your hands off of him, although kept them tucked into his. His eyes glimmered with a certain tone of pride - one you hadn't seen him wear often in the last few months. "You gave Potter a black eye." Draco's face pulled into a grin as he spoke, as though he couldn't help himself. Chest fluttering, you realised - Draco was proud of you. "Well - yeah." You felt your own, faint smile play along your lips. "He put you in hospital, Draco. Fuck, are you alright?" Straight back to panicking, you searched him again, the sight of him standing so full in front of you almost thrilling after such a long day. "Can you stop fretting for one second?" He pressed. "No, I cannot! What happened?" Demanding, you set him with a firm look. "You gave Potter a black eye, that's what fucking happened!" Draco exclaimed, eyes alight and wide. "I'm aware. I did do it myself, you know." You sighed, finally accepting that you were not going to find anything out about Draco's injury anytime soon. "You're bloody brilliant." He murmured, kissing you again - this time, a lot more hastily, so much it took you by surprise. You allowed him to wrap his arms around your waist, your own hands grasping at the back of his hair as his lips played atop of yours. Only, for them to travel across your jawline, breath hitching as they did so. "I wish I was there to have seen it." Draco whispered, voice dark, tempting. "Stop sexualising my violence." You muttered, evoking a chuckle from the back of his throat. The sound so close to your ear that it made you shiver, his fingers dug into your waist a little deeper. Still, you pushed the feeling away. "Draco, please tell me what happened." Finally, Draco faltered, an echo of a sigh escaping his lips as he shifted back to take you in. "I don't think you want to know." Heart stumbling, you swallowed, eyes dropping to where your hands splayed over his shoulders. "Trust me." Your eyes flickered back to his. Gradual hesitation was breaking through his previous, much more playful gaze. "I want to know." A silence settled between you. Endless amounts of tension managed to fill the small space between your features. It was the type of tension that already made your heart clench in your chest, the type that made you not want to breath. Draco's expression had fallen, a mixture of withdrawal and unexpected dread - one he would usually try so hard to cover.  It was unnerving, seeing someone usually so hardened, so steely, dropping back into the terrified boy you only caught glimpses of before.   And, eventually, he spoke. "He knows." Your breath caught in the back of your throat. "He saw - saw the mark, when I went to visit Myrtle. Shot some spell I've never heard at me." Draco, once avoiding your glossy eyes, finally met them again. "Nearly killed me." Merlin, his tone was something you'd never even attempted to imagine, coming from Draco. Both haunted, yet accepting, as though he was comfortable with his own fear - and it terrified you, deep into your core. In any other situation, you would have noticed your own terror. The idea of Draco dying, without you having even known - it was unthinkable. He was everything you had, everything you'd ever wanted or needed after a life spent within your own head. If he died - But you didn't. No. For once, it was only anger. Draco's expression was only a spark to a fire pit built many years ago. Built the day you stepped inside Hogwarts, brimming with hopes and dreams, only to be met with rejection.   It took a moment for you to realise that Draco was still watching you, uncertain, brow furrowed in concern. For you. Not him, not the one who had almost died only a few hours ago. And so, you let out a careful breath, holding his face in your hands as though it was the most precious thing to exist. "I won't let that happen." You murmured, meeting his complex grey faze with a fierce one. Swallowing, Draco watched you a moment longer, as though trying to read the intensity of your words. "I know." His brow jolted in as he spoke, as though he were wounded to say it. There was an underlying tone to your admission, one you both appeared to ignore. But then, Draco pressed a chaste kiss to your lips, squeezing your waist tight in his grip. The movement brushed away the tension before you could even attempt to hold onto it. It left you feeling a little unhinged, blinking. "I'm alive, though." Draco reassured, catching your eye once again. "Madame Pomfrey fixed me up quite nicely." A soft chuckle left you as he spoke, breaking through the stiffness of your features. "Really?" You raised an eyebrow, teasing. "Any battle scars?" His lips twitched, gaze warm. "You're just trying to get me undressed." Shaking his head, you laughed again, watching as Draco shifted away from you to tug his shirt upward. There was a slight stutter in your chest as he did so, a sudden childish nervousness at the exposure of skin. But, as your eyes swept across the healed, rugged lines across his chest, it faded. Leaving you instead, with both a tinge of worry - and, a slight desire. Draco, however, seemed to note your expression. He didn't allow his shirt to fall back down till your eyes met again, except this time, they were a little darkened. "Like what you see?" A smug smirk plastered his features, but you only rolled your eyes. "Cocky as always, Malfoy." You teased, unable to stop yourself from smiling as he pulled you in closer again. Pressing short kisses to your jaw, he earnt a sharp intake of breath from you. "I never denied that." The mood, somehow, managed to stay warm for the rest of the evening. Settled on the window sill, soaking in Draco's presence and rare good mood - your anxieties faded. His arms were so tight around you, soft lips finding your skin, over and over. It was as though you were dreaming. The anger, however - the anger never quite left. You weren't quite sure if you wanted it to, either.

[harry-potter-nerd]

Ginny?! Hermione?! Pt.1

This is set at the beginning of GoF during the death eater riot at the Quidditch World Cup.

“Come on, let’s go” Hermione said briskly, grabbing each of Harry and Ron’s wrists and pulling them away from Malfoy

Ron was fuming, and calling Draco a lot of things he never would have said infront of Mrs.Weasley

“Ron” Hermione scolded “It doesn’t matter- we need to get into the woods like your dad said” she finished

After about fifteen minutes, they found a small clearing with dry grass. Ron sat down up against a tree and pulled out his miniature version of Viktor Krum.

Hermione started pacing back and forth feverishly

A very small twig seemed to snap in the distance, most likely an animal

“What was that?” Hermione asked sharply

“Probably just a squirrel or something” Ron said dully

After a few more seconds Hermione said

“I’m going to go check on it”

“ ’mione, it’s probably just an animal, it’s fine” Harry responded, now pulling out bits of grass from the ground

“Then I’m just going to check, just in case” She said and quickly walked back into the wood

“She worries too much” Ron said to Harry “maybe when she’s back we can find Fred, George, and Ginny,” Harry nodded

A few more minutes of silence, then from the opposite way Hermione went, voices.

“And find my wand” Harry added

Two familiar, very similar voices

“Ginny?! Ginny?!” Fred and George called out

Harry and Ron both stood up

“Fred-George” Ron called

“Ron?” One of the voices responded

The twins stumbled into the clearing, both with their wands out

“Harry, Ron- is Ginny with you” Fred asked desperately

“Wha-Ginny? No, why isn’t she with you” Ron said, both twins blanched

“We got separated, we can’t find her, where’s Hermione?” George asked

“She thought she heard somthing, she’s just back there” Harry said, jerking his head to where she had gone

“We need to find her, then she can help us find Ginny” Fred said

They all turned to where Hermione had went

Ron, Fred and George all lit their wands

“Ginny- Hermione?!” They all shouted

“Fred, Ron, Harry!” George yelled after a long while later “Over here!” He called

The three others went to join him, he was kneeling down in between to close trees, shining light right on the ground

“What is it?” Ron asked

George picked up two twigs- no, it wasn’t twigs- it was two halves of a Vinewood Wand- with dragon heart string poking out of each snapped half.

“Tha-that’s Hermione’s”

They all head a loud snap from behind them. A dark silhouette of a man

“Morsmordre” He muttered in a strange voice

A burst of bright green light erupted from the end of the wand, and it transformed to a skull and snake

“What is that?” Ron asked

“I don’t know, but it can’t be good” Fred said

The four all started running twords the spell caster, Harry tucked the fragments of Hermione’s wand into his pocket.

When they got there, there was no one to be found

A ray of white light shot from the edge of the wood,

“Stunners! Run!” George said

They all turned the other way but it was too late

***

Harry groaned awake there was a dull ache behind his temples. Everything was very blurry, he brought his hand up to his face and readjusted his glasses.

Everything went into focus, harry became aware of the many ministry wizard faces staring down at him, almost all of them had their wands lit.

The light cast on a familiar face

“Mr.Weasley?” Harry asked, finally sitting up

“Dad-what-” Ron said sitting up next to him

Fred and George sat up a few feet away both rubbing their heads

“Dad, we can’t find Hermione , and we lost Ginny” George said, his eyes darting from his father to Harry

“Lost ginny- Can’t find Hermione-what?” He asked

Harry pulled out the fragments of Hermione’s wand

“Merlin’s beard, what happened”

They told him all what happened, from Hermione going into the the woods, then George and Fred them, then all going to look for Hermione. Then finding her snapped wand, the strange man casting the spell, then the stunners.

Mr.Weasley had a locked jaw, eyes slightly glazed over. After a long pause, he spoke in a small voice

“I want you four to go back to the tents, Charlie, Percy and Bill are there, tell them to meet me back here, and have Charlie take you, and Cedric Digory to get a port key home, understand” He said

“But dad, we can help- we want to find them” Fred said

“No, you need to go home, now” He said

The four walked back scilently, Harry finally had his wand back, Mr.Weasley had given it to him, but didn’t explain why he had it, but Harry didn’t dare ask why.

When they got back to the tent, Ron held the flap open and the let the rest go in.

There, Charlie, Percy and Bill were all sitting around the small table. Bill had a sheet wrapped around his upper arm, Charlie had a tear on his shirt, and Percy was attempting to staunch the steady stream of blood from his nose.

Bill looked up

“Good, you guys are back, where are dad and the girls” Charlie asked

George told them what happed, by the end, after telling them about Hermione’s snapped wand, the three oldest Weasley brothers were silent.

Bill stood up, looking very pale and clammy

“Charlie, you heard dad, go find Cedric and get them home” Bill said in a very hollow voice “C’mon Perce”

With that, Percy and Bill left the tent

“Alright, you guys pack up your things, I’ll pack up Hermione and Ginny’s things” He said

He pulled out his wands and murmured “Expecto Patronum”

A bluish, silvery baby dragon burst from it. It reminded Harry of the baby dragon Norbert that Haggrid had adopted in his first year.

“Come to our camp sight, pack your things. Your dad wants me to take you home” He spoke clearly to the animal, then he waved his wand, and the dragon flew out the tent

After ten minutes, Fred, George, harry and Ron all were packed up, and Charlie came back from the girls’ tent with their two bags.

The sound of huffing made everyone go outside.

There Cedric was with a very large bag, and looking like he had run ally he wa over to them.

“What’s going on? Why are we going now?” He asked

“Hermione and my sister are missing, our dads are looking for them now, but they want you five back home, okay?” He says in a would be casual tone

They walked to where they first arrived by port key, there Basil was waiting looking slightly harassed

“Basil, my dad and Mr.Digory need them to get home quickly” He said as he handed Hermione and Ginny’s bags in the twins’ hands

“Alright, one port key or two” He said, going over to the basket of old port key objects

“I think it would be better for two, one to the Digory’s and The Burrow- Cedric, you’re okay traveling alone right?” Charlie asked, Cedric nodded

Basil handed Cedric an old coke can and handed Ron a rusty horse shoe.

“Alright, go home, and tell mom what happened” Charlie said looking at Fred and George, he took a deep breath and said “We’ll find them- be safe”

And with that he backed away as Basil counted down

Harry and the twins grabbed onto the horse shoe

“...3...2...1”

Harry felt a jerk behind his navel and felt his fingers glue to the horse shoe as everything blurred

Within seconds, all five of them were tumbling onto the Weasley’s front lawn

“Boys!” The voice of Mrs.Weasley sounded

She had been standing the doorway, clutching the Weasley family clock in her hands. She ran over to them

After a few moments of hugs, and shuffling back inside with all the bags, the twins told her what happened

“And then we used the port key home” Fred finished, Mrs. Weasley looked pale, and had watery eyes

“Her wand- it, it was snapped?” She asked in a shaky tone

They all nodded, harry felt a sinking feeling in his gut

He looked at the clock Mrs. Weasley had been clutching

Fred, George, Ron, and Mrs.Weasley’s names all pointed towards ‘home’

Bill, Percy, Charlie and Mr. Weasley’s names pointed towards ‘work’

And Ginny’s pointed to ‘Missing’

They all were sitting in the living room, no one spoke

Harry felt like an intruder on the Weasley’s private moment

Hours and hours they sat until the the moon dipped below the horizon, and the sun started to rise.

The clock spun, Bill, Percy, Charlie, and Mr. Weasley’s names spun, from traveling then to home.

They all stood up

Harry was hoping beyond hope that when they looked into the the fron yard, Hermione and Ginny would also be with them

But no luck

The oldest Weasley’s all stood in the front yard looking, all looking gaunt and pale

Mrs.Weasley ran out to meet them like how she’d done for the first group

Harry looked throught the window as she led them back to the house.

When they got inside, Charlie waved his wand and made all their bags disappear

“Did you find anything?” Fred asked in a shaky voice

Mr.Weasley shook his head numbly

Mrs.Weasley’s body wracked with a silent sob

“I think you all should but to bed” Mr.Weasley said, wrapping an arm around his wife

“But father, we shoul-” Percy started

“All of you- Now” Mr.Weasley cut him off in a tone that left no room for argument.

They all walked up the stairs, pairs breaking off to go their own rooms

When Harry and Ron finally got up to the attic bedroom,

Harry couldn’t bare to look Ron in the eyes, not when they were both trying to hide tears.

Harry let himself fall into his bed, and shut his eyes.

In only a few hours, judging that the sun was directly over head, there were loud noises from downstairs

“....Arthur.... Ginny’s changed....Mortal peril”

“....Bill....Percy..... Ministry”

“....found her wand.... snapped.... just like Hermione’s....”

the voices swam in Harry’s head

He jolted all the way awake when the distinct sound of breaking glass joined the din of noise

Ron and him got up and ran halfway down the the stairs to the twins who had also woken up

Mrs. Weasley was standing in the kitchen, clutching the family clock, with a broken glass right next to her feet, which, judging by the red-tinted brown liquid that had pooled around the glass, had contianed fire whiskey

The clock in her hands had changed from the last time Harry had seen it. Eight of the nine names were pointed towards ‘Home’, the last one, however, was Ginny’s name, and it was pointing towards ‘mortal peril’

“What’s going on” Fred asked, bounding down the stairs and catching mr. Weasley off gaurd

“They found your sister’s wand, also snapped” He said, harry looked again around at the Weasley brothers, they all looked slightly sick

Over the next twelve days, it stayed the same, Percy and Mr.Weasley would leave early in the morning, and not come home till well after midnight. Both Bill and Charlie were off of work for holiday, but half the time they were out helping search for Ginny and Hermione. The other half were spent at home, trying to help Mrs. Weasley around the house.

The worst part however, were the steady flow of horrific proclamations made by the daily prophet. The writers seemed to just be fear mongering, giving daily updates witch punching titles like

‘Muggle born missing’ or ‘Missing, Kidnaped, or Killed?’

Mrs. Weasley had gotten all of their school things while they were at the World Cup, but now, the large pile of books and robes seemed almost like omen.

Harry had no idea of what the next year was going to bring, when he’d pictured, it always had Hermione next to him and Ron

“Alright, Fred-George, Harry, Ron” Mr.Weasley started, as he waved his wand making the bowls float away from the dining table that had contained onion soup that had been their dinner

“But it’s only nine!” George wined

“Now, your mother and I need to have a conversation”

They all grumbled as they slowly made their way up the steep stairs

He thought he would pull on his pajamas when he got up stairs, but it was clear the twins’ had other ideas. They grabbed their brooms from the closet and rode them back down.

It took harry a moment, then he realized, they didn’t make any foot steps that way.

Harry got his Firebolt, and Ron got his old comet series broom.

They flew gently down, and found the twins, just out of where you could see up the stairs from the dining room.

“....There’s nowhere safer then Hogwarts....” the sound of Bill’s voice said shakily

“But wouldn’t it be better to keep them home? You heard Dumbledore, if he doesn’t want Harry leaving, I recon we keep them home” Said Charlie

“But they can’t delay their education- the twins are starting NEWTS this year!” Mrs.Weasley exclaimed

“Molly, I hardly think Fred and George would be un-happy about not going back” Said Mr.Weasley, in a very tiered tone

“Mother, if Dumbledore thinks it’s safer here, I believe we should keep them home, at least until we kind them. Besides, if the ministry permits certain security measures, I see no reason that they can’t do some at home studding” Percy said wisely

“I’m sure I get out some of my old notes from my fourth and sixth year, see what things we covered, and that’ll suffice.” He added

There was a long pause, as so much information rushed to Harry’s head

Dumbledore didn’t want him going back to Hogwarts?

All thoughts stopped when he heard

“I better go check and see if the boy’s are in bed” Mrs.Weasley said

Bill gave a huffy laugh

“Fat chance” He heard him murmur

All four eavesdroppers flew so quickly upstairs that they crashed into the top room

They were all still rubbing bruises when they had to pretend to be asleep when Mrs.Weasley peaked into the room

When she finally did leave, they all sat up, and making the side table lamps go on.

“So Dumbledore recons that it’s safer here?” Ron asked to the room at large

“You heard Percy, the ministry thinks they won’t find them for a while longer” said Harry numbly “and if the death eaters got to-” his voice broke away “If the death eaters got to Hermione and Ginny, who knows who’ll they’ll attack next”

Harry looked acrosss the room and saw Fred and George exchange a solemn look before both laying back down.

Harry didn’t sleep well that night, and judging by the infrequency of the snores issued by the three Weasleys, neither did the rest.

In the morning, the four boys went down stairs to find Mrs. Weasley looking uncharacteristically bright, she was frying up eggs and sausages

“Good news” She said, as the four sat down at the dining table

“Dad found Ginny?” Fred asked abruptly, Mrs.Weasley’s smile faltered a bit

“No, but they’re expanding the search- Barty Crouch has issued a search party in Albania for Bertha Jorkins, but they’ll also be looking for Ginny and Hermione” She said

Harry looked at Ron and the twins, none of them looked as delighted about this news as mrs. Weasley, but no one wanted to disabuse her of this cheery notion.

However, this did not pan out, they didn’t find a thing

****

After breakfast the following Sunday, Ron said

“You know, you don’t think the Malfoys could have, you know, be part of- of what happened. I mean, Draco practically told us that his dad was one of the masked lot”

George, who had been intently playing wizard chess with Fred looked up

“You never mentioned that- does dad know?” He asked

Both Harry and Ron thought for a moment

“No, I forgot to tell him” Ron said “Ought we?” He asked

“I recon you should, I mean, we all know the Malfoys don’t have a problem hurting kids” Fred said darkly

The Weasleys knew all too well the horrors Lucius Malfoy was able to commit. He had in fact been the reason that Ginny was almost murdered when she was eleven.

“Well, you should go tell him now, him and Percy are about to leave”

Ron ran downstairs and Harry and the twins were left in the room.

A few minutes, he came back up the stairs

“So?” Harry asked

“He wouldn’t give me a straight answer” Ron said “But I know dad would love to have an excuse to arrest Lucius Malfoy. But I don’t think taunts are enough to do a house search or something” He finished

Harry gave a great sigh and went back to folding the pile of laundry on his camp bed.

****

Twenty-four days, thats how many days it had been sense Ginny or Hermione had been seen.

Not a single lead- Mr.Weasley had tried to get a search warrant on Malfoy Manner, but he didn’t have enough evidence.

That was however, until a very rainy evening, there was a knock on the door.

Bill answered the door, harry looked up when he looked taken a back

“Aren’t- aren’t you Luscious Malfoy’s son?” He asked, that caught everyone’s attention

Everyone stood up accept for Mrs.Weasley and Percy

There, in the doorway, stood a soaked to the bone, Draco Malfoy. And for the first time sense Harry had known him, he looked truly terrified

“What are you doing here” Ron sneered, eyeing Malfoy up and down

“How did you get here, more like” Said Mr. Weasley “I thought your home was over in Wiltshire” He said

Malfoy held up his very weather beaten Nimbus 2001

“Why are you here?” Bill asked in a bitter tone

“They-they’re at the Manor, Ginny-Granger” He said, still looking terrified

Then Malfoy did somthing Harry thought he was not capable of; he started crying

“I’m so sorry- I didn’t know how to get here- I never wanted this to happen” He said

“What?!” All of the Weasleys and Harry said

“Ginny and Hermione- they’re the the cellar of the Manor-my father’s estate” He finished, trying to scub his eyes

Harry looked over at Mr.Weasley, he looked almost as scared as Draco

“ Percy, you take Draco to the Ministry, and tell anyone you can- the Aurors” He said “Bill, Charlie, We’re going to Malfoy manor”

[swellwriting]

You found me.

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Reader

Warnings: none

Request: can I request Draco x female reader imagine? students are on break and girl convinces Draco to visit her home in the muggle world. they go shopping, visit museums, drink hot chocolate, go to the cinema... at the end of the day they are back in the girl's home and search through her old Hogwarts memories. later they are cuddled up and have sweet conversations🥰

Word Count: 3.7k

A break from college was much needed at this point in the semester, between exams and final projects you were glad to have a week where you could literally do nothing and not feel guilty about it. The week prior was spent surviving on a diet of 60% caffeine and 40% muffins with a mix of only 5 hours of sleep at most, but it was worth it for this stress-free break.

You lied in bed staring at the ceiling, you had just woken up of your own volition instead of by an alarm clock for the first time in months. Your mind raced with all the things you could do today, you could go to the coffee shop and enjoy having your morning drink there instead of racing out the door with it, you could read for pleasure in your own bed instead of the stuffy library with the weird mildew smell, or you could go shopping. The ideas drifted through your head as you weighed which was more favourable to yourself.

You got out of bed, grabbed a knitted sweater off the floor and pulled it over your shoulders walking to the kitchen in your small flat to get some cereal. As you crunched on the sugary breakfast food you continued pondering, you looked at the calendar on the wall to see something scribbled in red ink on today's date. It read: renew apparition licence today!

“Shit,” you muttered under your breath. That would be a good chunk of today's time wasted on long lines at the Ministry. You shrugged accepting the fact that you needed your apparition license, you needed to apparate to class at least a few times a week when you were running late and you couldn't afford to possibly pay the fine of being caught with an out of date licence. Not that you ever would get caught, attending a school full of muggles meant you only apparated into empty bathroom stalls and broom closets, but it was better safe than sorry.

Once you rinsed out your bowl you made your way to your room, your flat was small, deemed student housing making it was fairly cheap, so you wouldn't complain. The small closet in your room had a dresser crammed into it and hangers full of clothes on top, it was great being able to wear whatever you wanted, as long as it was reasonably appropriate, to school every day. You grabbed a pair of light wash jeans and slid them on, pulling the high rise pants up past your belly button, you slid a thin black long sleeve shirt on and tucked it in fastening the button, you grabbed your bag and a sweater before sliding your boots on and running out the door, better to get there early and get this over with.

Sadly, that's what many people had in mind as well. When you apparated into the main entrance of the Ministry you were met with the crowds of people making their way through the busy building. You looked at the signs and tried to find the licence renewal line and make your way there. You hadn’t had to do this since you turned 16, you got it a week after your birthday, though you weren't legally allowed to apparate until 18. You wondered if you would see anyone you knew here, anyone from Hogwarts with a birthday near yours that would also have to renew their license around now. As you walked, staring up at the signs trying to find the way you bumped into someone else who had been staring at their feet as they walked.

You noticed his polished black shoes first, as your eyes drifted up you saw a perfectly pressed white button up and then your eyes met his, a shade of silver just as you had remembered them.

“I'm sorry.” Where the only words that came out of your mouth as your mind raced, it had been over two years since you had last seen your old acquaintance from Hogwarts.

“It's alright.” He answered plainly making the conversation go nowhere but you both still stood there waiting for something to happen.

The large crowd seemed to part around the two of you as you stood in place looking up at him expectantly, but for what, you weren’t sure. From Draco you didn't expect a warm hug like you would from a different classmate, you expected perhaps a handshake, the general courteousness of a pompous rich boy like himself, instead he smiled awkwardly at you, “Hello, Y/n.”

“Hello, Draco.” You replied formally repeating his greeting to him, unsure of where the two of you stood.

The two of you weren't friends in Hogwarts, to say that would be a stretch but for a moment you wondered what would define a friend to Draco and though perhaps in his mind, you might fit the bill. You were kind to him, kind to everybody actually, you were potion partners for three years in a row at the end of Hogwarts and he once even bought you a hot chocolate at The Three Broomsticks when you ended up at the same large table with mutual friends. So even though it hadn't really crossed your mind maybe he did see you as a friend from school, more than you saw him as a just an old classmate.

“Do you work here?” He asked gesturing to the building you were both standing in.

“Oh no, I'm in school actually, the University of London, second year.” You said awkwardly. You hadn't seen many old friends from Hogwarts, you ahdnt looked forward to telling anyone from your old magical school that you had chosen to go to a muggle school, especially not someone like Draco. Even if you had heard that he changed, you had seen it a bit yourself in the last years of Hogwarts.

Draco raised a brow like he had no idea what you were talking about so you decided to further explain yourself to the boy with such a narrow world view, “Its a muggle school.”

He nodded and then looked confused again before asking, “Then what are you doing here?”

“Well I'm still a witch Draco,” you said it with no malice instead you gave a lighthearted chuckled before continuing to explain yourself, “I have to renew my apparition license, but I'm having trouble finding it.”

“Oh me too, I just got told its downstairs, here let me show you.” He said before turning and walking the direction the lady at the desk had just told him, he looked back every now and then to make sure you were still behind him, not daring to grab your hand. He seemed nervous and uneasy, to top it off he looked pale, paler than usual.

When you got to the line he stopped, “I guess a lot of people are here for the same thing.”

“I guess so.” You answered awkwardly as he stepped aside for you to go in front of him in the line, you smiled and quietly said thank you before turning to face the front. After a few minutes of awkward silence, the line had only moved a smidge. You decided it would be best to let the time pass with conversation, you turned swiftly to face Draco which seemed to surprise him.

“How are you?” You said abruptly, forcing a friendly smile on your face.

“Me? Oh, I'm good, yeah good.”

“Just good? Are you working somewhere or?”

“No.” He answered awkwardly fidgeting with his hands, “I'm rather uninteresting actually, how are you?”

“I'm good, stressed out beyond belief, well I'm sure you've felt similarly distressed.” You commented, meaning to relate to your mutual schooling at Hogwarts and being stressed for OWLS and such but by the look of bewilderment on his face, you knew he assumed you meant stress from the war or something regarding his trial.

“I mean, stressed from school, like at Hogwarts for OWLs, College is similar, actually less difficult really, but it's still a lot.”

“Oh, of course, yeah, schools always stressful.”

Your conversation was interrupted when you noticed Harry Potter walking out of a doorway with the sign “Department of Magical Law Enforcement” overhead. He quickly noticed Draco and walked over, it was hard to miss that platinum blonde hair.

“Draco! How are you?”

“Good, you?” He replied, he still looked just as uneasy when talking to Harry, you assumed they had become friends since you read that Harry testified for him at his trial.

“Good.” He said with a nod before noticing you, “And Y/n hello.”

“Hi, Harry.” You said, it was weird, you were never friends with him at Hogwarts. He would have never said hi to you if you weren’t stood beside Draco.

“Are you guys here together?” Harry asked as he looked at Draco expectantly.

“Now we just ran into each other, renewing our licenses,” Draco said, and you just nodded.

Harry’s smiled deflated a bit as he patted Draco on the shoulder. “Well, you should get out more often, other than renewing license’s and stuff, come by sometime soon!” Harry said before waving goodbye to you and then walking away.

“That was awkward.” You commented not meaning to let it slip out, you covered your mouth with your hand.

Draco chuckled, a genuine smile spreading across his face, “What and this is not?”

“Well, sort of, but it'd be awkward if I saw anyone from Hogwarts, it's not specifically because it's you. Regardless, you seem uneasy, like you don't want to be here.”

“Do you want to be here?” He asked and you shook your head.

“No, but you seem more nervous to be here than just generally annoyed like I am.”

“I just feel like, I don't know how to talk to people, I am a very different person from when I last spoke to you, for example, I don't know how to be me now. It sounds weird but it's just, I don't know. I feel like everyone everywhere is staring at me all the time and everyone hates me.” Draco confessed, sounding so honest and real that it almost scared you.

“You shouldn't care what people think.”

“Y/n, I haven't changed THAT much.” He said with a smile and you laughed.

Before you could say anything back to him the lady at the desk called out for the next person in line, which you hadn't realized until now was you.

Draco got called to the desk beside you and you both turned to each other when you were finished, standing there awkwardly again, unsure of what to do.

“I should go.” You said quietly as you stood out of the way.

“Yeah, me too, busy day ahead of me.”

“Busy? What do you have to do?” You asked, wondering what Draco Malfoy did if he didn't work.

“Sit in the manor, alone. Actually.” He tried to say it as a joke but the sadness in his eyes was telling.

“I actually have a few things to do, if you want to tag along, you know if the whole brooding alone thing can wait.”

“I can reschedule it actually,” he said with a thin smile, you could tell he was holding himself back from smiling wider, not wanting to seem too excited to actually have something to do.

You grabbed his hand and apparated back into the living room of your flat, it was small, like every room. There was a large window that took up most of the wall and looked down on part of London, you were a few floors up so you had a teeny tiny balcony as well. You had a bright patterned couch that you found on sale and textbooks and notes covering your coffee table, as well as many half drunk cups of tea.

“Sorry for the mess, I have to take a day to clean sometime this week.” You said gesturing to the mess before grabbing the sticky note attached to your fridge with a list of basic groceries you needed. You stuck the sticky note to Dracos neat white shirt, “hold this for me,” he looked down and peeled it off his shirt with a grin, holding the small list in his hands.

-almond milk

-bread

-muffins

-tea bags

-pasta

He read it over, what a weird shopping list, it was so normal. He looked at you as you grabbed your bag and walked over to the door, waving your hand for him to follow. As you walked down the stairs he had to ask, “Where are we getting these things? Why don't we just apparate?”

“We are going to the grocery store, and we are walking because it's nice outside for one and because muggles don't take kindly to someone magically appearing in front of their cart in the cereal aisle.”

Draco nodded trying to understand, he had never been to a grocery store in his life, he always had someone to do that for him. There was a small grocery shop a block away from your flat, you grabbed a basket instead of a cart and walked to where you knew, the things you needed, to be. You quickly grabbed them as Draco followed you like a lost puppy dog.

“This is really all I have to get done today, but I should take you to more muggle places, you seem confused and scared but in the way someone fears something unknown to them, when we were at the ministry you looked anxious and scared but in the way that you were scared of the people around you.” You paused for a moment thinking he would say something but he stayed silent so you continued. “The muggles? They don't care about you, they don't even know who you are, you will only get weird looks for wearing dress clothes in the middle of spring while walking on the streets.”

“So my attire is not muggle appropriate?”

“No, it's perfect of sulking in your house where only the house elves will see you, but it's terrible for literally anything else, except maybe a pureblood party.”

“This would never be suitable for a pureblood party, this is too dressed down,” he scoffed and you raised a brow at him as to tell him he was being too stuck up and posh, he mumbled a sorry in acknowledgment under his breath. “What would you suppose I wear?”

As the two of you stood in the checkout line you placed your items on the counter and turned to him trying to work with what you had. You raised a hand up slowly to his hair and paused looking him in the eyes before daring to touch it, he nodded his head giving you permission to mess up his perfectly gelled back platinum hair.

You dug your fingers in and shuffled them back and forth until his hair was less stuck in place and more tousled, falling to one side and sticking up in a few places, perfectly messy which made Draco already look like a whole new person.

Then as you still stood in the checkout line in the middle of a busy grocery shop you moved closer to him and undid a few buttons off the top and pulled his shirt untucked, you then rolled his sleeves up giving him an instantly more casual look. “That's the best that I can do,” you said with a smile.

As you paid for your food Draco whispered from behind you so the clerk wouldn't hear, ‘You made me look ridiculous didn't you?”

“No you look very handsome I promise.” You said without even thinking.” Draco’s cheeks turned light pink at that and he stood in shock, staring at the clerk behind the counter for a minute before he realized you had walked away.

He hurried to catch up with you and took your bag out of your hand to carry it for you, but as you got outside finding an unusually empty sidewalk you took the bag back from him and in a snap, it disappeared, being sent to your kitchen counter.

“So you buy groceries the muggle way, but you use magic at your own convenience.”

“Though this is a Muggle shop, wizards buy groceries too Draco, you just have house elves for such things.” You teased and he frowned realizing his view of a wizarding life varied from yours and others quite a bit.

“So, what other muggle things are we going to do then?”

“You actually want to? You have changed quite a lot then, you won't be too disgusted by them or too busy thinking you are superior to them?”

“My parents are still very much that way, and though I wouldn't want them to know what I was currently doing, I have no issue with it.”

“And if your parents knew you were willingly spending your day with a half-blood?”

“They'd probably faint but I don't care.”

“Ooh, Draco Malfoy. Ever the Rebel.” You teased as you stopped walking in front of the small museum you had always opposed but never gone to. “Care to be super rebellious and learn a little bit about Muggle history?”

Draco shrugged as he followed you inside, you walked in silently looking at the different exhibits, the one about past wars, the dinosaurs, some old statues and near the end there was a small art gallery with historic paintings. Draco was looking at one of some detailed building, an old castle of some sort when he heard you start laughing, it would be very disruptive had anyone else been in there.

“What's so funny?” He asked as he walked over and then frowned when he saw the painting, it was of a young man with white hair and a large frown on his face, he wore some old time clothes and it very much resembled Draco. “Oh, Merlin.”

“Nope, doesn't look like Merlin to me,” you paused bending over in laughter as Draco looked at you completely unamused, “looks like you.”

“Oh shut up,” he said as he finally let a smile crack. Now that you had seen he wasn't actually upset at finding his painting doppelganger you grabbed his shoulders lightly and moved him to stand beside it, you backed up admiring the resemblance and then burst out laughing again.

“It's uncanny really.” Then your mouth opened as you came to a great realization, you had a camera with you, you shuffled through your bag and felt it in your hands, before pulling it out you looked at Draco with a pleading smile. “Please.”

“What?” He asked looking a bit scared.

You pulled the camera out and hid your face behind it, he breathed loudly letting out a huff. “Fine.”

You looked into the viewfinder and framed the photo, it was perfect. You clicked it, making sure the flash was off to not draw attention from any security guards.

As soon as you pulled the camera down he moved away from the painting, you walked up beside him moving on to the exit and out to the sidewalk.

“That was fun.”

“Ah yes, fun. You making fun of me is very fun.”

“I'm not making fun of you, I'm having fun with you, there’s a difference, even if you're not used to the latter.”

“I have fun,” he argued.

“When is the last time you had fun with someone and you weren't making fun of someone else?”

“Probably potions class with you?” he said honestly, almost like a question. You smiled at that, it was such a cute thing to say even if it was just his honest thoughts.

“I guess that counts, this is better though.” You smiled as you turned into a   shop, holding the door for Draco to walk in behind you.

“Hot chocolate? I need a break from my caffeine binge of last week. I’ll buy this time if you buy next time.” You said with a smile and Draco agreed, going to find the two of you a table by the window.

“If you want me to pay next time we will have to visit the three broomsticks or something, I might be rich in the wizarding world but to muggles my money is rubbish.” He commented.

“Sure, I've been dying to go back there anyways I haven’t been in so long.”

“Last time I was there was when we pushed two tables together, it was right before the big battle at Hogwarts, maybe a week before, we were all so stressed and nervous that it didn't matter who was sat at the table, Slytherins sat there, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws and even Gryffindors, it was fun complaining about school and the war together, it was like group therapy.”

“You bought me a hot chocolate that night.” You said with a smile as you sipped your sweet drink.

“I remember that.”

“A weird act of kindness for the then Draco Malfoy.”

“Well, I felt like you deserved it, you looked stressed.”

“I was stressed, we all were.”

“But you were the only one I really cared about, the others could fuck right off if I'm being honest.”

“Did Draco Malfoy just say he cared about me?”

“You were always kind to me, patient, even when I didn't deserve it,” he admitted as he sort of his behind his drink, taking small sips.

“Everybody deserves a bit of kindness.”

“And here you are, being kind yet again even though I haven't talked to you for over two years, I thought about it but I never had your address anyways.

“Well, you found me now.” You said with a smile and he smiled back, genuine, all toothy with no holding back for his reputation.

“Let's go see a movie, I'm out of ideas after that.”

“A muggle movie I assume.”

“Yep, with muggle snacks and muggle actors and everything, the full experience, even chewed muggle gum under the seats!”

“I don't even want to inquire on that last part.” He said as you both stood up and walked over to the movie theatre down the street, preparing to stuff your faces with overly buttery popcorn and bubbly soda drinks.

[qobiin]

weekly fic rec hoard

here's what i've been enjoying reading (and re-reading) this past week for different fandoms across the board! this week features: atla, bnha, good omens, harry potter, marvel, naruto and stranger things  ♡ means: all-time fave, (m) means: 18+ themes 

avatar: the last airbender

♡ first rule of earth kingdom fight club... series by ohmygodwhy  zuko, his stubborn inability to die, and finding himself thru getting his ass kicked 

The Most Ragged Edges by twinfinite  In hindsight, Zuko really should have seen this conversation coming. He can almost hear Li and Lo chanting wickedly about the magic of Ember Island, about waves smoothing away rough edges… 

♡ ribs by ohmygodwhy  The first thing Zuko tells him during their first lesson after the whole Sun Warrior ruins ordeal, is “Fire comes from the breath.” a lesson in learning, and re-learning. 

♡ see your son rising at last by aloneintherain  When Zuko dashes into the sitting room, it is with the same wide-eyed panic that he ran from Azula’s smoking hands when he was a child. Iroh bites down on a smile. Zuko looks the same, even now, a decade later with a scar blossomed over one side of his face, green and brown robes replacing the solitary reds of his childhood. His hair is puffed up around his face. He looks like a very frightened, very windswept turtle-dove. Zuko dives behind Iroh just as Aang breezes to a stop in the doorway. Five times Zuko hid behind Iroh, plus one time Zuko stood proudly in front of him.

♡ the beginning of a new and brighter birth by aloneintherain  “I’m so proud of you, my nephew.” Uncle cups Zuko’s face in his lined hand. The gesture is so tender, his palm so warm, that Zuko has to take a fortifying breath against the sudden swell of emotion in his chest. “I want to be a good leader, Uncle,” Zuko says. “I want to look after my people.” “You will,” Uncle says. “You are, nephew.” In a new era of peace, Zuko works to be a very different Fire Lord than his forefathers.

boku no hero academia 

the stars are floating and we are flying by lunalou  Aizawa starts walking towards the exit, obviously expecting Shouto to follow him, but Shouto's feet are frozen in place. His eyes flicker from the distorted reflection of himself in the ice to where All Might is giving him a long look, eyes kinder than anything Todoroki has ever been deserving of, and he feels sick.  “Todoroki-kun,” Midoriya says gently, squeezing his arm in what Shouto presumes is meant to be a reassuring gesture. “It’s going to be okay.” He doesn’t think Midoriya is in any place to tell him what okay is, all things considered, but he chooses to keep quiet on the matter. 

♡ I’ll share this with you, so leave it behind by yabakuboi  For the sake of the story, All Might is never in need of a successor, and, when Izuku saves Katsuki from the sludge monster, encourages young Midoriya down a different path. Thus, Katsuki and Izuku part ways after junior high, as Katsuki enters U.A. and the Midoriyas move overseas. It’s later that Katsuki realizes that there’s something missing, that he drove that something away. Years after, Katsuki finds him in the last place he looks, in the cereal aisle at the local grocery store of their childhood neighborhood. 

Loose lips Sail ships by Yousayhun  Bakugou is at war with his own fucking mouth and everyone else just seems to be having the time of their lives. 

♡ flare guns go off in my head saying not to call you this late by youreanovelidea  Midoriya beams at him and Tokoyami is suddenly hit with the urge to look away. “So bright,” he mutters under his breath, low enough that Midoriya can’t hear him.  (or, Midoriya is a problem child who just really loves his friends) 

(m) The Devil Blues by iknewaman  The 78th precinct's police captain, Toshinori Yagi, has volunteerd his squad to help implement the mayor's wish of increasing the successful cooperation between the city police and active Pro-Heroes. Each detective is to be assigned a Pro-Hero who will shadow them for two weeks, and the operation has been dubbed the 'Station Cooperation Operation'. Although it is not well-received by those involved, Izuku Midoriya, current detective at the 78th precinct and loyal follower of captain Toshinori's ideals, believes that the operation will be a success. If his captain says it will succeed, there isn't a doubt in Izuku's mind that it will. That is until he meets his assigned Pro-Hero. 

♡ someone is wrong on the internet by rhenna  It’s been a long day. By all rights, Izuku should be falling into bed, half dead. But instead of sleeping, he’s hunched over his laptop at 2 in the morning writing a dissertation about why exactly Ground Zero’s pecs are the best pecs to ever pec, and how dare anyone insinuate that he should lose some of that muscle because don’t you even understand what kind of physique a quirk like that requires? Amateurs.  (Izuku has two jobs in this world: pro-hero and anonymous president of the Ground Zero fan club. What could possibly go wrong?) 

good omens

♡ Divine Intervention (aka God ships it) by TheLadyZepher  There’s a battle strategy devised by humans many millennia ago that's designed to overcome an adversary who is particularly well entrenched. Some walls are too tall and thick for a frontal assault, and must instead be bested through sheer dogged stubbornness. Crowley and Aziraphale didn’t know it, but they were about to be put under siege.  Fed up with an angel and a demon who are still avoiding any talk of Feelings, God starts to interfere. When it comes to the ineffable plan, sometimes things need a bit of a push. 

♡ Slow by write_away  It started like this: A boy with the ability to warp reality met an angel and a demon and he made assumptions.  You might say it started like this: An angel and a demon found a marriage contract hung on the wall of the angel's bookshop. They didn't question it. It also could have started like this: Once upon a time, the angel told the demon he went too fast. The demon took it to heart.  Aziraphale and Crowley find themselves somehow married. Crowley fears going too fast. Aziraphale forges ahead. Neither know how to ask questions of each other. 

♡ Eziraphael’s Gifts: A History of Queer Faith and Longing, by Natasha Marie Johnson (Beacon Press, 2019). by actualbat  "If Eziraphael has come to be known--in today's language--as the 'guardian angel of sad queers,' then it makes sense for him to have shown up more regularly in the past once that became a recognizable historical category." Natasha is really glad that she's given this talk enough times to be able to do it on autopilot, because those two funny-looking men in the back just made the most absurdly astonished faces. (Or: Not all historians ignore gay subtext, and not all immortal celestial beings have their shit together. Also, voodoo.) 

harry potter 

♡ Apple Slices and Cocoa by FeathersMcStrange  Harry Potter is an abused kid with not an adult in the world on his side when Molly Weasley meets him.  She decides right then and there that if nobody else is going to try and take care of this boy, then dammit, she's going to. 

hello goodbye (’twas nice to know you) by tamerofdarkstars  Draco Malfoy thinks he might know whose thoughts are scrawling themselves on his skin, but that's crazy. Impossible, even. It has to be a mistake.  -  Self-indulgent soulmate AU where the thoughts of your soulmate inscribe themselves on your skin in a shifting magic tattoo 

♡ (m) Men Who Love Dragons Too Much by fencer_x, IDoodleForNoodles  ‘Kill Albus Dumbledore’ is less a challenging task and more a suicide mission, so when Draco Malfoy is presented with the option to either dispatch his Headmaster or suffer an excruciating and most ignominious death of his own, along with his parents, he reaches deep into his black little Slytherin heart and manages to scrape together enough courage to go with option C instead: Spend Sixth Year secretly studying Animagecraft in the hopes he’ll turn into something sufficiently imposing even the Dark Lord himself won’t be able to keep Draco under his thumb. But just his luck, his Animagus form turns out to be a dragon, and a rather randy juvenile at that, intent on finding its mate: one Harry James Potter. 

marvel 

♡ Hard to Love by Gruoch  If someone had told May that Iron Man himself would one day occasionally show up uninvited to her quiet little apartment and intrude into her quiet little life, she would have laughed them out of the room. But then her life seems chock-full of unpleasant surprises these days.  Or, Tony Stark wants a bigger piece of the pie. May Parker learns to accept help. Peter just wants to keep the peace. 

♡ Mr. Parker Declined to Comment by apisdn  The events leading up to the embarrassing moments during the Doomed Field trip, and how Peter Parker accidentally ended up in charge of things. All the while the political machine moves on, the Avengers do not kiss and make up, and the future draws ever closer. 

Another No-Good Field Trip by Muimor  Peter Parker is not having a good day. AKA, Where Peter's decathlon team take a field trip to the Avengers Compound, Vision's a menace, and Peter really doesn't want to go.

naruto 

(m) Resonance by flailinginlove  After being hit by a missing-nin's jutsu, Kakashi's chakra is never the same again. 

♡ (m) What Otter Nonsense by DarkAuroran  “Is that an otter?” Iruka asks as large, sable eyes blink at him and a little whiskered nose twitches curiously. “That’s an otter. Why do you have an otter?”  “I can’t tell you,” Kakashi says with a great amount of dignity for a man cradling a baby otter in armoured gloves. “Classified Jounin mission business.”

♡ Learning Curve by ishiryoku  This is the life she chose: the path of the shinobi. It's either roll with the punches or be left behind by her team—and Sakura's not about to let them go off on their own. 

♡ Roots and Wings by ideaoforder  When Naruto is kidnapped from his orphanage at age three, Kakashi is so done with this shit. He gets Naruto back, tells the Hokage where to go (politely, because he isn't suicidal), and raises the boy himself. Or, you know, tries and is proud when there aren't too many explosions. Then everybody starts to copy him and it's a whole thing. 

stranger things

In Which Starcourt Is a Pun by asexual-fandom-queen (writeordietrying)  “Welcome to Scoops Ahoy. Do you know what you want?”  Nancy and Jonathan visit the Starcourt Mall and corner Steve at his place of work with their feelings, but in an awkward, this-is-still-the-1980s-so-we-can't-be-too-direct kind of way. 

♡ my father comes and he goes by mjolnirbreaker  So, for Max, he doesn’t punch Billy Fucking Hargrove. He just sits there in sweltering heat and listens to the C’s being announced, and when parents cheer for their kids he tries not to think about how his parents are currently in Colorado. 

♡ it’s a risk, it’s a gamble by nondz (pinkjook)  “I think we should pretend to date,” Robin says. "What?" Steve answers. 

one of those new wave boys by glorious_spoon  It probably should feel more awkward than it does. (Or: Steve and Robin go on a road-trip, drink, listen to music, and look after each other. And yeah, maybe there's some cuddling involved too.)

wanna rec me something? head over to my ask or submission boxes! message me even, i don't really mind (: 

and to all my fellow authors who may feel a little down about not getting onto rec lists, this is for you:

[wandlores]

All for the Game

Pairing: Blaise Zabini x Ginny Weasley Words: 4,409 Soul-Mate AU Part 3 of my Marked Series on AO3

Ginny Weasley remembered the day she found out soul-mates were real. She heard stories growing up from Bill and Charlie’s late-night gossiping, but whenever her Auntie Muriel came over, she would always attempt to disprove their theories.

“True love doesn’t exist, Ginvera,” she would tell her, “And it’s better to get that in your head now rather than end up disappointed later.”

At first, Ginny didn’t believe her, she wanted to believe in true love. You could say she was a romantic, even if her brothers teased her relentlessly for it. But as her Hogwarts days started nearing, she gave up on the theory and thought it to be impossible. If true love existed, it was between her parents, and they were not marked. Not that she knew of.

It was the day before she was supposed to leave for her first day of school. She walked into her parent’s room to find her mother. She wanted to ask her where she placed her favorite jumper, but she caught sight of her mother slipping on her sweater to get ready for the day. Ginny felt awkward, of course, she should have knocked.

But then she noticed it. She noticed a mark; it was a wildflower to be precise and right above her heart. Amazed, Ginny stood at the doorway gaping.

It took a few moments for Molly to realize someone was there, and as soon as she saw it was Ginny, she begged for her to close the door and come in quickly.

Ginny made her way to her parent’s bed and jumped on top of it excitedly.

“Is that really what I think it is?” she asked, “Are you marked? Are you and dad soul-mates?”

“Keep your voice down!” Molly pleaded, “Let me tell you a story.”

Ginny stopped jumping on the bed and sat criss-cross applesauce. She beamed up at her mother who sat down next to her.

“So is it really true?” Ginny pressed.

Molly smiled and rested her hand on top of Ginny’s.

“It is, my love,” she explained, “The moment I met your father and he shook my hand, we were marked.”

“Then why don’t you prove Auntie Muriel wrong? Why keep it a secret?”

Molly patted her hand, “What you don’t understand Ginny is that a lot of people don’t believe that soul-mates exist. If you tell people, especially in my generation, they scoff at you and figure you are lying. It wouldn’t matter what I tell your Auntie Muriel, she wouldn’t believe us. Especially since she has never found her true love. She will never understand.”

“Why is it so uncommon, mum?” Ginny asked curiously, “Why can’t it be proven?”

“Because most people aren’t lucky enough to come across their true love. Sometimes they are on the other side of the world, but know this: It can happen for you just as easily if you believe it will. However, I don’t want to give you false hope. Please don’t feel like you are guaranteed to be marked, do you understand?”

She nodded but then smiled excitedly at her mother, and she felt so overwhelmed that she hugged her. Molly chuckled and rubbed her back.

It was in Ginny’s nature that she felt hope. If her parents found each other, she would find her true love, too.

Molly whispered, “Oh, my sweet girl. I know you’re excited at the possibility, but can you please do me a favor?”

Ginny pulled back from her mother’s hug and replied, “Anything for you, mum!”

Molly smiled and grabbed her hands again, “You must promise me you won’t tell your brothers. Your father and I have kept it a secret for a reason. The fewer people that know, the better. It’s not that we don’t want your brothers to know, we are just protecting them from possible heartbreak. Do you understand?”

Ginny nodded, but she left for Hogwarts the next day with a lot of hope in her heart.

Especially when she saw Harry Potter, but the amount of disappointment she felt when she brushed his arm accidentally and was not marked was indescribable. That’s when she decided to keep her mother’s secret, because she truly realized how rare it was.

And if Harry Potter wasn’t her soul-mate, no one could be.

But Ginny was naïve back then. If only she knew her destiny and the game she was about to play.

Blaise didn’t believe Draco at first when he told him he had found his soul-mate, and that his soul-mate was the one and only Hermione Granger. It took a lot of convincing for him to count it as fact, and even still, he was skeptical.

But when Pansy admitted that she was marked by Harry Potter and easily proved it, Blaise started to wonder what the hell was in the water at Hogwarts.

Naturally, he had to research what was going on to see why some people were marked and some weren’t. All the books and articles said that some individuals were marked because they were lucky enough to find their true love, and some were not. There was no scientific basis to anything he read. He found it stupid.

If Blaise was being honest, he did not care if he found his true love. Life was easier without attachments, and without attachments, he could have fun. His mother had a blast fooling around throughout his childhood, so why shouldn’t he get to live the same luxury throughout his life?

He knew he was shallow, but that was life. Humans were here to reproduce, and that was a logical fact. True love wasn’t needed to survive, especially not for someone like him.

Daphne practically forced Blaise to attend Draco and Hermione’s “welcome to our new home” party. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy a good time, but he didn’t want to deal with the constant chatter about Draco and Hermione being marked for life. So many people were jealous, so many were skeptical, and so many were amazed. It was enough to make Blaise want to puke. He hated small talk, and that was the smallest conversation that could go around. Especially since there was no explanation for this particular phenomena.

“I’m happy you were willing to escort me tonight,” Daphne told him, “I felt awkward going alone knowing that Pansy was going to meet Harry there. You know they’ll talk and instantly feel their connection. They can’t avoid it forever.”

Blaise tried hard not to roll his eyes, but he replied, “It’s no problem, Daphne.”

He glanced to his right side and checked her out. Her long magenta gown hugged her curves perfectly, and her blonde hair was in loose waves. Daphne was gorgeous, but he had been there and done that. They made it clear after one time that it would never happen again.

“Are you reminiscing about our old times at Hogwarts?” Daphne teased.

They had approached Draco and Hermione’s front door, so it gave Blaise an excuse to avoid answering the question honestly.

“What are you waiting for, are you going to knock?” she asked him impatiently.

He rolled his eyes again and huffed, but he relented into knocking on the door.

Draco greeted them with an ornery smile.

“Greengrass and Zabini, I never expected to see you together again. I thought that one night extravaganza was enough for you?”

Daphne rolled her eyes and kissed Draco on the cheek.

“It’s nice to see you, Draco, but no. You know that won’t happen again.”

Draco chuckled as he slapped Blaise on the back and let him in.

“Is Pansy here yet?” Blaise dared to ask.

Draco shook his head, “No, but Potter is here already. Look at him over there. He is talking to his could have been old flame.”

Blaise lifted his head to see that Potter was talking to Ginny Weasley.

She was wearing a short and obnoxiously tight red gown, and she looked extremely uncomfortable in her four inch pumps. They were horrendous. He smirked to himself.

“She’s still hot, isn’t she?” Blaise asked casually.

Draco chose not to answer by saying, “Why don’t you go have a drink while I go and check on my lady, yeah?”

Blaise smirked at Draco as he walked away. He was whipped. He decided to approach Daphne again to give him something to do.

“Shall we?” he asked.

He held out his hand to escort Daphne through the crowd to grab a glass of champagne, and she did a dramatic curtsy before taking his hand.

“How is Ginny Weasley so gorgeous?” she asked him, “I used to hate her, but now I can’t help but sort of like her. She has been to a lot of Draco and Hermione’s small get-togethers, the ones you have refused to go to I might add, and she is honestly wonderful.”

“Going soft on me, Daph?”

She snorted, “Of course not, I just speak the truth.”

Blaise held his breath as they passed by Ginny and Potter. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt the need to. Ginny shifted uncomfortably on one of her heels, and they brushed arms.

That’s when he felt it. His chest was burning, but he knew he was in way too good of health to be having a heart attack. He was nineteen, for god’s sake. And that’s when he saw it. He saw blood bleeding through his white dress shirt. He tried to wait it out, but he figured he should leave while Daphne was distracted. He excused himself to go to the loo.

That’s when he came face to face with Ginny Weasley. She was pulling her dress back to examine the mark that he had given her. All he could do was gulp.

Ginny hated heels, and she hated more that she was being required to wear them. But she would do anything for Hermione, and it was a small price to pay to make sure her one true love was also happy. A happy Draco meant a happy Hermione.

She never thought she would think those things in her mind, but here she was.

Ginny couldn’t help but shift back and forth uncomfortably in her heels. It was the only way to make them tolerable for at least a few seconds, but as she shifted to her left foot, she brushed up against someone.

“Oh sorry,” she mumbled, but she didn’t catch who it was. They walked by too quickly.

But then it hit her a few seconds later. Her chest was being ripped open, and she felt faint. Harry wasn’t paying attention, and she watched as he waited impatiently for Pansy to arrive. She wasn’t going to bother him with this, he had other things to worry about.

But he glanced over towards her. She had no idea how she looked, but it apparently wasn’t good. His face was full of concern, and he asked her, “Gin, are you alright?”

She blinked a few times to regain composure, and she attempted to stand up straighter.

“I-I’m fine,” she lied, “I’m just going to go to the bathroom.”

Before he could respond and pry anymore, she dashed away from him and towards the hallway.

She peeled the top of her dress away from her sticky skin, and it was what she was afraid of. She had been marked, but she wasn’t sure by who.

Her mark was of a quill and it was still bleeding profusely. She wondered if that was normal. She figured she would be ecstatic that she was finally marked, but the fact that she had no idea who ran into her was making her worry.

“So,” a smooth voice spoke up from around the corner, “What mark did I leave?”

She looked up to see herself facing Blaise Zabini. He looked abnormally calm, which made her angry. He wasn’t scared, he wasn’t excited, he looked unphased.

“Yo-you were the one that ran into me?”

He walked closer towards her and unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a mark of a broomstick.

“I’m afraid so,” he said, “Since you’re an aspiring professional Quidditch player, and I was marked with a broomstick.”

Without asking, he grabbed the top of her dress and pulled it down slightly to see her mark. Ginny felt exposed, but then she realized it didn’t matter anymore.

He was now embedded into her skin, and if she concentrated enough, she could feel his calm heart beat against her erratic one.

“Ah, a quill. I’m not surprised, my passion is writing,” he told her.

She pursed her lips together and nodded.

“So, that’s it then? You don’t even care that we are marked as soul-mates?” she asked him hotly.

She watched as a smirk spread across his face.

“Why should it matter, Ginevra?” he taunted, “It appears everyone is being marked these days. It’s not really unique. Besides, we can still see other people, right?”

Ginny’s mouth fell open in disbelief. This could not be happening.

But before she could reply, he had turned on his heel and walked back out to join the party.

Blaise would be lying if he said he didn’t feel like something was missing. He took that as a sign that he needed to get laid, so naturally, he owled sweet old Tracey Davis over to participate in a casual fuck.

Well, it was casual for him anyway. It was all going great until she caught sight of his mark.

It was still red; he hadn’t seen Ginny since the party. It had no time to truly heal.

“Is-is that a mark?” she asked bewildered.

He tried to ignore her and played with the lace on her bra, but she slapped his hand away.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” she spat, “You invited me over for a casual fuck when you have a one true love? What the fuck are you doing?”

She rolled off of him and started pulling her clothes back on. He leaned against his side casually on his bed and watched her.

“I don’t believe in this shit,” he told her honestly, “Everyone seems to be getting marked these days. Have you heard about Hermione Granger and Draco? They are engaged now cause of this shit. Why are all these Slytherins and Gryffindors inter-mixing, wouldn’t you say it’s weird?”

Tracey shot him a glare, “I don’t care what it is, but don’t owl me again. Owl Ginny Weasley and tell her you are horny and want to fuck her.”

“How do you know it’s Ginny Weasley?”

It rolled out of his mouth before he could think through anything. It was impulsive of him, and he was never impulsive.

“Because I see the GW engraved on the broomstick handle of your mark. Plus, she is the only one who could ever compete with you in the beauty department.”

He grinned at that, and she frowned at him, “Don’t take that compliment as a way to boost your ego. It’s big enough already. And it’s not just that. It’s also because you have always looked at her differently. I can’t explain it.”

“You were seeing things.”

She sighed as she turned the handle on his bedroom door, “I don’t think I was, Blaise.”

He was about to give her a sarcastic retort, but before he could, she was gone.

Ginny didn’t tell anyone about her mark. She was ashamed of it; she was ashamed that her soul-mate was such a smooth player.

He was a fuck boy, and Ginny did not do fuck boys. Sure, she had had her fun during Hogwarts with Dean and Michael, but she wasn’t a bitch about it. Blaise was a dick, and a cold one at that.

A few weeks after the ordeal, she decided to go shopping in Diagon Alley to clear her mind. As she was browsing shops, she caught sight of him.

Instantly, she felt herself glare, but she charged right up to him.

“You can’t avoid me forever, Zabini,” she said harshly, “This isn’t something you can slither your way out of.”

Ginny felt his heart against hers again, and this time, she was surprised that it was racing. It made her smirk in satisfaction. She felt the quill against her chest darken, and she knew he could feel his mark doing the same thing.

“Oops,” Ginny said sarcastically, “I’m so sorry I made our marks darken by coming up to talk to you. It doesn’t make it any more permanent, oh wait. I think it does.”

He glared at her.

“Is there something I can do for you, Weasley?”

She snorted, “Well, we could talk about what this means,” she suggested, “Unless you’re just that awful with commitment.”

“I am that awful, I’m glad you catch on quick.”

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his lower arm.

Although she was at least six inches shorter than him, she was strong enough to drag him down Diagon Alley until they were in a deserted back lot by George’s joke shop.

“Are you wanting me to meet your family now?” he asked as he pointed to the joke shop’s sign, “I think that’s a little early, don’t you think?”

It was in that moment then that Ginny realized she wouldn’t get through to him by talking. The only way he would listen was if they touched again.

Impulsively, she grabbed the collar of his shirt so his lips smashed against hers. And that’s when her lips ignited. She had never felt this amount of fire before.

Her whole body tingled, and she quickly moved her hands up his neck until she was gripping him tightly.

It took him a minute to respond, but then she could feel his heart beating against hers as well, and their marks deepened in their skin.

His tongue slid between her lips, and his fingers tangled in her hair. Before she knew it, her legs were wrapped around his waist, and he was slamming her against the brick wall.

She gasped for air, and he looked at her hungrily. That’s when she realized they almost had identical eyes. His were golden brown as well, but they were bright against the contrast of his skin. He made her feel dull.

His lips were pressed against her neck before she could stop him, and she moaned as she dug her nails into his back.

She was feeling complete ecstasy, but then she realized this meant nothing to him. He didn’t want to love her, he wanted to fuck her - just like anyone else. But this time, he would have heightened physical pleasure as he did so.

“Stop!” she finally snapped.

She untwined her legs from his waist and let herself drop. She was surprised when he caught her by the elbow. His lips were red from all their kissing, and his pupils were dilated.

“Why?” he asked desperately, “Did you not feel that?”

“Of course I did, but I’m not going to be another casual fuck.”

She grabbed her bag from the ground, and she dashed out of the alley before he could say another word.

He admired his mark in the mirror and traced his finger against the broomstick. He stopped once he reached her initials, and he sighed as he turned away from his own reflection.

He missed her, and he didn’t get why he missed her. He missed her in a way that was more than just needing to have sex. He didn’t even fuck her. He missed her in a way that felt like longing.

And that made him want to punch himself in the face.

He was Blaise Zabini, and he didn’t feel this way about anyone. Fuck true love, he always said. Fuck relationships. They were a waste of time.

But it didn’t feel that way anymore, especially when he could close his eyes and feel her heart beating no matter how far away she was. If he focused hard enough, it made him feel relaxed. It was sickening, it truly was. He couldn’t stand it, but he couldn’t stand not having her.

He fretted for hours before he sent his owl to her. He asked her to come over, and he had no idea if she would. He was surprised when he got an owl back that simply said, “Okay, see you then. G”

He paced back in forth in his front entry-way until she arrived. When she got there, he felt her heartbeat so overwhelmingly that he opened his door straight-away. Her hand was up in the air mid-knock.

“Hi,” she said awkwardly, “May I come in?”

It was a stupid question, and he was usually the type to always point out when someone asked a stupid question. But he didn’t this time, and he surprised himself.

“Ye-yeah, of course.”

She flashed him a small smile as she made her way through his door, and she helped herself to the kitchen. He watched as she poured herself a glass of red wine, and she downed it in one drink.

He couldn’t even do that, and he would be lying if he didn’t say he was impressed.

“So,” she said, “What do you want to talk about?”

He leaned up against his kitchen counter and stole the bottle of red wine from her and took a swig.

“I wanted to talk about us,” he answered casually, “That is, if you’re still interested.”

He watched as her warm eyes brightened, but she tried to hide her shock.

“I suppose that could be discussed.”

She snatched the bottle from him, but their fingers slightly brushed against each other. An electric jolt rushed through Blaise’s body, and he felt her heart pick up speed against his chest.

Ginny dropped the bottle, and it hit the counter and shattered. Red wine dripped off the edge, but Blaise didn’t care. All he wanted was her.

He took a step forward and grabbed her cheeks with his hands. His lips were against hers before she could even breathe, but she did not complain. She opened her mouth willingly and let his tongue slip in. Her arms were quickly wrapped around his waist once more, and he wasted no time carrying her to the bedroom.

As he gently placed her on the mattress, she ripped off her t-shirt to reveal a white cotton bra. It was so simple. She didn’t even try, and Blaise found that endearing. He caught sight of his mark on her again, and he brushed his fingers over it softly. She shivered.

“Are you sure?” he whispered.

He didn’t want her to think she was another Tracey, because she wasn’t. He hadn’t realized it until now, but this was something more, and he wanted it. He wanted it no matter how much it scared him.

“Yes,” she whispered, “I want you.”

She pulled his shirt over his head and immediately kissed the mark she left on him, and he felt the sensation as it became more engraved into his skin and darkened.

This was the start of it all, and it was far from casual. It was tender, and it was real.

They woke up the next morning, and Ginny’s head was on his chest. Her breathing was even, and her heartbeat was perfectly overlapping his. He brushed her red hair out her face, and she woke up slowly.

“Sorry,” he said quietly, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

She surprised him by smirking, “Were you watching me sleep? That’s very sappy of you, Zabini.”

He playfully snorted, “As if.”

He smiled as she began to laugh. Her laugh was going to become his favorite sound.

Months passed, and it was time for Draco and Hermione to get married.

Although Harry and Pansy were still avoiding each other, Blaise and Ginny decided to accept their newfound relationship. That made it especially easy for Blaise to be Draco’s best man and for Ginny to be Hermione’s maid of honor.

In her dressing room, Ginny tugged uncomfortably at the pale green dress Draco picked out for her to wear. It was lace, and it scratched against Ginny’s skin uncomfortably. She groaned to herself as she slipped on her heels, and she felt Blaise enter the room.

She turned around and playfully pouted.

“I fucking hate heels, and this dress is so uncomfortable. You would think Draco would have been a little nicer about picking something out for me that was tolerable.”

“At least you look gorgeous,” Blaise offered.

She rolled her eyes, and he planted a kiss on her forehead.

“You know,” Blaise commented, “If it weren’t for heels, we wouldn’t have even been marked. It was because you were shifting so much in those hideous pumps that I ran into you.”

“So you finally admit you ran into me now? A few months ago, you claimed it was all my fault.”

She smiled playfully at him, and he wrapped his arms around her.

He was about to tease her back, but then Draco peaked his head in.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but I’m about to get married. You two should probably come out and take your places at the altar.”

Ginny blushed slightly, but Blaise was unphased.

“Okay Malfoy, we’re coming out now.”

Ginny watched as Draco adjusted his bow tie, and he slipped back out of the room to take his place and wait for Hermione. Blaise grabbed Ginny’s hand, and they made their way down the aisle.

Ginny could not focus on anything else as Blaise rubbed the back of his thumb against her hand. Tingles were shooting up her arm, and her heart accelerated. Ginny saw him smirk as they parted ways to stand on opposite sides of Draco.

Two could play this game, she thought.

As Hermione was walking down the aisle, Ginny watched her and smiled, but she made sure to move her long red waves off her shoulder to expose her neck. She turned her head slightly, and she knew this would drive Blaise mad.

His weak spot was her neck, and she teased him that he liked to suck on it like a vampire. He claimed he had more class than that, but he honestly didn’t.

Ginny felt his heart speed up after she turned her head, and she smirked and stole a glance his way.

His eyes were playful, and he was smirking, too.

Ginny’s life was about playing a game, but this game was her favorite one by far.

[justarandompersonnoonecares-blog]

The Year of Spiders by Beringae

She makes the bath water as hot as it will go and watches the steam curl up towards the ceiling as her skin prickles and pinks. She sweats impurities, and everything that has made her hurt goes somewhere else, for now. She stays in the water as long as she can, and when she stands up she feels the blood rush from her head and she has to hold on to the wall until the black before her eyes subsides. When she exits the bathroom, wrapped in a large blue towel that makes the pink of her skin all the more pronounced, Draco is sitting on her bed. He looks at her and she sees a helplessness that unnerves her. "What are you doing here?" she asks, clutching her towel. He rakes a hand through his hair, staring at the warped boards of the floor. "I was thinking that I might have to leave soon," he says, quietly. She feels like perhaps he has hit her, and closes her eyes against her instinctive protest. "W-Why?" "You don't need me anymore." She frowns, confused. She doesn't know where to go, so she stands against the wall. "What do you mean?" "I don't need to be here, so I'll have to leave." "You don't have to do anything, Draco. You can do whatever you like." He finally looks back at her, and she sees that he is smiling darkly. "You still don't understand, do you? Merlin, Hermione." But he doesn't say more. She sits next to him, her arms wrapped tight around herself. That nag has returned, and she feels hollow dread in her stomach, desperation. The year, she recollects, has seemed to last a lifetime, and Draco has been a constant presence. Her caretaker, her overseer, her aggravator. Her companion and her destroyer. But their time in this house has been a dream, and she begins to realize that it cannot last. She can't help but feel that they are on the precipice of a terrible secret. "Where will you go?" she asks, trepidation in her voice. He looks at her too sharply, and then he laughs. It is not a happy sound. "You're funny, you know that?" he says. She narrows her eyes. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Draco? I've never told you that you can't leave. You're not a prisoner." "Wake up, Hermione." And then she kisses him, because it feels like it's the only thing she can do. He turns on her immediately, pressing her body hard into the bed, like punishment for her ignorance. Her body remembers what her mind does not, and she stops thinking. It feels insubstantial—a less-logical dream—and she holds on to him. The explosion threw her on her back and took the breath she had been holding. She lay, fighting against her uncooperative lungs, for several minutes until she could sit up and view the slaughter. A crowd of civilians. An unfeeling massacre. The explosion originated from where Draco had been moments before, and the bodies were strewn in a circular pattern around the focal point. And she knew. "You bastard. I knew it." Her tears burned the smoke residue away. The fermented doubt all of a sudden seemed justified. She remembers the betrayal of that day, just before the world went black. She wakes and immediately senses that something is not how it should be. Rolling over, she reaches out an arm to wake Draco but finds the bed empty. No, not just empty—untouched. The bedclothes are completely smooth, the pillow without indentation. He never makes the bed. Frowning, she pushes her snarled hair from her eyes and looks, bleary eyed, around the room. She trembles. Something is wrong. She throws back the covers and stands, expecting to feel the pull and ache of unused muscles. She walks without discomfort. She wonders if it had truly been a dream. And then she realizes that she is naked. She sits on the bed, bare knees knobby in her thinness, and attempts to come to terms with the fact that she had loved Draco Malfoy. She woke to hushed voices. She could recognize the sterile whiteness of St. Mungos even with closed eyes. She lay still for several moments, attempting to collect her memories. "Draco!" she breathed, anger in a flash causing her eyes to snap open. "Hmm?" said a familiar voice. She turned her head and saw him. Her eyes narrowed. She sat up, wincing, and slapped him sharply. "How dare you come here, you son of a bitch! You killed them!" Her voice broke, and she scrambled to grab onto a part of him, twist and hurt. "I saw you!" She saw Harry and Ron, the source of those hushed tones, rush through the doorway, confusion written on their faces. "Hermione, what—" Draco grasped her wrists lest she attempt to hit him again. "Hermione, wait. Let me explain. Voldemort has powers beyond—" "DON'T TRY TO RATIONALIZE!" She screamed, squeezing her eyes shut against the pain of her battered body. "You killed them! Just people on the street! After everything we've been through, how could you?" Harry and Ron rushed towards her, nearly plowing into Draco, who had to step aside and out of their way. "Hermione, what are you talking about? Who killed who?" asked Ron, his brow furrowed in concern. "HIM! He killed those people!" Hermione shrieked, pointing suddenly at Draco, who stood off to the side, staring at her with eyes that were sad enough to make her insides fracture. "I can't…" She finally broke, sobbing, and cradled her head in her hands. Ron and Harry glanced in the direction she pointed, and then they shared a look that alarmed her. Harry motioned to the doctor. "I think you'd better sedate her." She didn't know any more. After she has found herself once again, she finds a robe and goes downstairs. She expects to find an empty house, but he is in the kitchen tending to two mugs of coffee on the counter. She stands in the doorway, looking at him, for only a moment. Drinking in the idea that he is still here. He hears her breathing, and picks up the coffee. He hands it to her, and leans in to kiss her lightly on the mouth. She can hardly feel it. "I thought you would have left," she says, wrapping her hands around the warm mug. "Not yet," he replies. "Something is wrong." "You're waking up. You don't need me anymore." She cocks her head and begins to understand. "You made the bed. You never made the bed. I couldn't feel you last night." He stares at her, a minute. Two. Then he says, "Of course you couldn't. I've been dead for a year." She drops the mug. Coffee splashes across the floor, seeps between the floorboards. "No, you haven't. You've been here with me. You've always been here to take care of me. Don't lie, Draco," she says quickly, between shallow breaths. "Use your head, Hermione. Don't let it control you. It's time to wake up." His eyes are very soft, very clear. She closes her eyes, squeezes tight. "Oh my god. Oh my god." And then, she knew. She remembered empty rooms and words spoken to nothing. She feels like she might faint, so she feels for a chair and sits down. When she next opens her eyes, he is gone. Harry and Ron spoke to the doctor quietly while Hermione slept. "What's going on? Why was Hermione acting like that?" asked Ron, wringing his hands. The doctor looked at them sadly, responsibility weighing heavy on his face. "You said that Ms. Granger was in a relationship with one of the victims of the curse?" "Yes," said Harry. "We're questioning Lestrange now. She performed the curse. She killed thirty people." The anger in his eyes made the doctor take one step back. "I have reason to believe that Ms. Granger has…compensated," he explained, sighing deeply. "What the hell does that mean?" Ron demanded aggressively. "It means that Ms. Granger thinks that Mr. Malfoy betrayed her and killed those people. It means…she thinks he's still alive. She thought he was in that room." The two boys—men, now—fell silent. "She…she was talking to Malfoy in there?" Ron stumbled over the words. The doctor nodded. "I believe she knows, in her subconscious mind, that he has passed, but she has been through such a trauma that her mind is compensating by recalling the image of the man she loves. It will likely pass, but for now I would suggest playing along. She will likely not believe whoever tries to reveal the truth to her, but it will also be an incredibly upsetting revelation." The doctor removed his glasses and wiped them on his jacket. "She will come to terms with it in time. These things take time." Ron and Harry stared at each other, one of the hardest conflicts of their short lives playing out before their eyes. Harry smoothed his thumb over the object in his pocket. Inside the hospital room, Hermione woke to gray eyes. "Hermione! Are you in there?" Ron pounds his fist sore on the splintering door of Hermione's house. He and Harry have been waiting outside for Hermione to answer the door for ten minutes. "Ron, this is really starting to worry me. We haven't heard from her in two weeks, and now she won't answer the door. What if something's happened?" Harry says, his eyes betraying his panic. "Only one way to find out. Stand back, will you?" Ron nudges Harry out of the warpath, and promptly kicks down the door. It comes away with ease, carrying chunks of the rotten doorway with the lock. "Hermione! Where are you?" Harry shouts, noting the dusk and gloom of the house subconsciously as he searches. He finds her in the kitchen, sitting with her back to the wall. She doesn't move, even as she hears his footsteps. "Hermione, what's going on? We haven't heard from you in weeks! Are you—" "He's dead." Harry falls silent. Ron's heavy breathing announces his presence, and good sense keeps him from speaking. Harry finally takes the plunge. "He is, Hermione." She turns to look at them, and Harry fights not to recoil after seeing the empty despair in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" She asks in monotone. "They told us not to." She nods, and tears begin to leak from her eyes, covering the salty tracks of many before. "Will you take me out of this house, please?" She whispers. She lets the tears lay quietly on her cheeks and throat. Harry lifts her easily from the ground, his arms around her thighs and shoulders. She breathes softly onto his neck. She is very light, and Harry frowns. Before they leave, on the threshold of the sad house, Hermione says, "The potion is ready." At Harry's flat, he settles Hermione on the couch. She stares at the wall. Harry disappears for a moment, and returns with his fist clenched tight around something small. He opens Hermione's lightly clenched hand, and presses cold metal into her palm. Hermione looks blankly at the ring in her hand, and then her eyes light with slow understanding. She looks at Harry with a question in the lines of her face. "It was all we could find of him, Hermione," Harry says, choking on her name. Hermione releases a near silent sob, and her shoulders finally shake with suppressed grief. She stares at the ring in her hand, and the Malfoy crest glints with terrible regularity back at her.

[drarry-donut-blog]

Potions

I don't recognise what the smell is coming out of the Amortentia. There is the scent of my broomstick and treacle tart, but there was another scent that I couldn't put my finger on. I gradually stepped towards the aroma to get a clearer scent of it, when professor Slughorn snapped the class out of it. A bunch of the class had also been walking closer to the pot, and we had only realised what had happened when Professor slammed the lid on top. I could still smell the intoxicatingly curious scent next to me, despite the lid being closed, no one else seemed to notice this, but I looked around. In front of me was Malfoy, so the smell wasn't him, and I looked at me and there was Ginny. Yes. It must be here, the only other options were Ron and Hermione and there is no way it is them, they are basically my siblings.

"Ginny, can you meet me in the common room after lunch?" Her eyes lit up and she smiled her cunning smile. "Of course Harry." I grinned. The potion never lies.

_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\

"Harry!" Ginny called... She was with Hermione and Ron. I wasn't expecting them but I love them so I don't mind.

"Ginny! Ron, Hermione! Ginny I was going to, um, ask you out on a date, by the lake... Right now." She looked shocked

"Sure Harry, if you want."

"Only if you want to!"

"Of course I do." She kept glancing at Ron along with me, as if asking permission, but he seemed to be to captivated by Hermione to tell, which is new.

I walk Ginny over to a little nook in the hill next to the lake. The beautiful midday sun shining on the grass. I summoned a picnic blanket and some food and we dug in, both too nervous to speak, at least I hope it was anxiety not awkwardness causing the silence.

"So... Harry."

"Yeah?"

"Why did you ask me out? I didn't think you saw me as anything more than a friend."

"Well... In potions, there was a smell in the Amortentia, and I think it was..."

"Talking about me cotton head?" Malfoy snickered as he and his posey came up to us.

"Oh bugger off ferret."

"Forgotten my name have you" He leant into me, and I instantly felt the scent fill my nose. The smell that hid from me in the potion. I looked into his eyes, as grey as the sky when a storm is coming. The very colour beckoning me to stand my ground and fight the hurricane until a rainbow shone threw the dark clouds. He was inches from my face, and I could feel my shaggy hair cling to my face. I was all too aware of his hot breath on my skin, fogging up my glasses and making me tremble.

"I could never forget you..." I mumbled, and his daggers softened into spoons, his eyes locked onto mine, but no longer did they beg me to hurt him, but to hold him, and he scoffed. And no matter how much it hurt me to do so, I pushed him away, it was Malfoy after all. "Get away Malfoy before too many bugs get stuck in your hair." He looked hurt slightly but his resolve took over.

"Try not to get too, muddy, on your date Potter." Crabbe and Goyle snickered as they turned in since and strolled down the hill. I couldn't stop looking at that bigot's ass.

"So I'm like, your dream?" She asked quietly, trying to get back to me pouring out my soul.

"Uh, what?"

"The Amortentia?"

"Ohhh right, um... What was I saying about that?. Oh yeah, I smelt my broomstick and treacle tart and some smell I couldn't put my finger on..." I looked down to see three sets of green robes re-entering the castle "and I think I just figured out what it was."

"OF COURSE I WILL BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" Ginny kissed me straight on the lips, and I felt nothing but shock. I didn't know what to do.

_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\

"Harry James Potter. How dare you." Hermione was fuming. Her hair proofed up more than usual, her cheats red and her eyes puffy. Her perfectly ironed clothes were even starting to crease a little bit.

"It's not my fault." I rubbed the back of my head "she just, took it the wrong way."

"You said it was her."

"I never actually said that."

"You will break her heart."

"I can try not to."

"Ron will kill you!"

"And I will let him." I sigh and stare at the ceiling.

"How could you not realise you were gay!"

"I might not be."

"You're in love with Malfoy. How are you not?"

"I could be bi." I shrugged

"But you're not."

"Nope."

"Then why say it."

"I dun know."

"You have to break up with her."

"I never asked her out."

"She thinks you did... And you didn't correct her."

"I know."

"So tell her."

"She will hate me."

"Undoubtedly"

"I have to break up with her after a day?"

"It's better than waiting until everyone knows."

"I guess."

"You know."

"I know."

"Do you want me to go get her?"

"Can you?"

She walked out of the room and I continued to stare at the ceiling. Ron came in and sat on my bed.

"You asked out my sister without asking me?"

"I never asked her out..."

"She seems to think you did."

"I didn't."

"Well, you better not hurt her."

"I don't really have a choice."

"What does that mean?"

I sighed and continued to stare at the ceiling, Ron was obviously angry.

_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\

"Harry!" Ginny was grinning ear to ear as she jumped onto my bed with me and snuggled into my chest. Ron looked at me, daring me to hurt her. I sighed again.

"Ginny please stop."

"What?"

"I never asked you to be my girlfriend. In fact, I'm not even into... Girls."

"WHAT!" Ginny and Ron spiked up and stared at me. Looking at me with shock. Ginny had jumped off me and I put my face on the pillow.

"I was going to talk to you about the Amortentia. At first, I thought it was you, but then it wasn't. Now I know who it is and it's impossible but true."

"Who is it.?" Ginny was surprisingly fine. She didn't seem heartbroken in the slightest, just embarrassed. "Oh, and sorry I jumped to conclusions."

"Sorry if I misled you."

"Haha in the past, so who is it."

"You won't like it."

"Who?" I looked at her and then Ron who was looking very intently at me.

"It's Malfoy." They both just stood stock still and stared at me.

"The ass who has been bullying us since the first year?" Said Ron

"The one who cares more about blood than people?" Ginny said

"The one whose been calling me mudblood since I stepped foot in the school?" Hermione was in the doorway with tears in her eyes.

"Look, guys, I didn't exactly choose who I have feelings for... I just do. "Haven't you noticed the way his eyes replicate the clouds to perfection? Stormy and calm at the same time. The way he puts so much work into his appearance as if having one hair out of place would be the death of him..." I cuddled my pillow, my heart filling with compassion, "and even when he sneers, his face is utter perfection."

"Gross Harry." Ron gagged.

"That's kind of cute... Even if it is Malfoy." Ginny replied.

"It's still Malfoy," Hermione said.

"I told you this before I broke it off with Ginny and you didn't react like this!" I pleaded.

"That's because I thought Ron at the very least would have given you so much grief that I would have made it worse if I showed you how I felt."

"Hermione..."

"Don't Harry. I won't hate you for this, and I can't judge you based on your crush... But it doesn't mean I accept him."

_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\

Ron and Hermione sat together and refused to let me sit with them, at first I thought they were being mean about the Ferret thing until I realised, the only free seat was next to him. I blushed furiously and sat next to him. His eyes were focused on his book and he wasn't guarded as he usually is. He wasn't extraordinary and he wasn't doing anything special, other than allowing his grey eyes to appear almost blue as he was reading the properties and effects of Amortentia. He noticed the seat beside him was no longer empty and he was staring at me, his guard sadly rising, as if little mini Draco's were building a wall. His eyes became stone again.

"What are you doing Potter?" He sneered

"Just... Sitting."

"Next to me?"

"I guess so." He looked at Ron and Hermione who had somehow managed to take up their entire table that normally fit the three of us easily. He groaned. "Fine but keep to your side."

"Okay." I wanted to talk to him. I really really did want to talk to him. I know I like him but I don't know why and I want to know why. He's just so... I don't know the word. Aggressive? Yeah, aggressive.

"Students! Today I am allowing you to create any potion of your choosing. As long as you can do it within 2 hours. You also must work with the person beside you. Begin!" Professor Slughorn beamed. I knew just the potion to impress Draco! When did I start calling him that? Oh doesn't matter it's in my head. I flip to a page in my book. The half-blood prince was a genius. Inside there was a potion that would normally have to sit for three days to be created, but here there is a version that can be done while sitting for an hour. And it only takes 10 minutes to put together.

"Let's do polyjuice!!" I say grinning

(A/N I know it takes months to make polyjuice, I just wanted to use it for my storey.)

"Are you that simple Potter? It takes 3 days, not 2 hours."

"Trust me Ferret, I know what I am doing."

"Why is it that I feel I am going to regret it if I listen to you?"

"Because you lack something I have in great numbers." I hit my textbook. "Faith." He groans and rolls his eyes but I can tell he is curious and wants to try.

"If this goes sideways, then I'm blaming you."

"The only thing going sideways is you."

"That makes no sense." I grin and he rolls his eyes, obviously hiding a smile.

_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\

As we placed the ingredients into the cauldron Draco was constantly threatening me and sneering and going off at me for putting in the wrong ingredients, in the wrong order, in the wrong amounts. But as each one started to show signs of the potion working he started to quieten and get closer to me to pay attention more closely, as if memorising my skills and techniques. He was right on my shoulders, an inch taller than me, and he was getting that focused look his eyes again as he stared at the potion when I had finished and it was like watching paint dry in fast forward. We had 80minutes to kill time and he was really close to me.

"Draco?"

"Yeah, Potter?"

"Sorry, Malfoy, are you gay?" He moved from touching me and I instantly regretted it.

"Why, are you?"

"Yeah."

"I will tell you if the potion works. Which I doubt it will."

"Can't wait to find out." He rolled his eyes and started to blush. He was definitely gay. We spent the next hour in silence, him constantly glancing at me and me pretending not to notice.

_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\

"Times up!" I could see Nevill groaning as he and Slytherin had obviously failed to finish. Hermione and Ron finished a while ago and our potion appeared to be complete as well, if not a bit lighter than normal.

Slughorn drifted through all the potions, having the students test them if he deemed it safe to do so, and he complimented the few successes and encouraged the majority, which was failures. Hermione was less than perfect but succeeded in turning Ron into a baby and back, and then Slughorn came to us, and his glasses raised with his eyebrows. "Why do we have here?"

"Polyjuice potion." Everyone had stared at us as if we were idiots, except Ron and Hermione who knew. Draco shrunk.

"That takes days to prepare, how on earth did you think you could do it?" He was disappointed and upset, and to shut him up I took a piece of Draco's hair against his will, chucked it into the potion and I drunk a cup of the goblin piss. At first nothing happened and Draco groaned and the rest of the class laughed while Slughorn was sad, but they all started to stare at me as I changed, at first, my hair became blonde, then my skin tightened and paled as my bones became thinner and muscles shrunk, and I grew an inch. I sneered at everyone, an exact copy of Draco in 2hours.

"You stupid filth. I am your Slytherin Prince, how dare you doubt me." Everyone laughed at my sneer, even Draco. "Wow Draco. Nice." I was looking in my pants, pretending to be looking at his junk, but I wouldn't do that unless he asked me too. *wink wink*

"Stop it!" Draco yelled at me.

"Hey, hey. I didn't actually look."

"You are making a fool out of me! How dare you." He grabbed a cup and put some hair that fell out of my head into the table, and placed it into his cup. And chugged it, and stole my glasses.

"Oh look I'm Harry Freaking Potter! No ones better than me! Watch me shake it!" He started to jump up on the table and shake my ass. Was it really that big?

"Look I'm Draco Malfoy! My father will hear about this!."

"Look at my messy hair at shines in the light!"

"Look at my perfectly gelled hair that has not a single hair out of place."

"Look at my amazing abs!" Everyone was laughing. Even Draco! I loved it.

"Okay, boys that are enough. I don't know how you did it, but you did it. Outstandings for both of you."

Draco smiled at me with my grin and I sneered back, we both fell on the floor laughing.

"I'm definitely gay," Draco said as he started to turn back into himself. Obviously, if the spell is easier to concoct it won't last as long. He gave me back my glasses as my eyes started to squint.

"Truce?" I asked

"How about a date?" My mouth opened wide.

"Hell. Yes."

_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\

I met him where I took Ginny. And the first thing we did was kiss. It was hot and wet and amazing. Sparks shone through my body and I wanted this boy to be mine forever.

"That was amazing."

"You could do better."

"Teach me."

"If I must Potter." And he did. Oh Merlin he did