Uncontrollably Fond

Flutter.

Harry leaned against the wall nearest to their Potions classroom, along with Hermione and the rest of the muggleborn Gryffindors and Slytherins in their year.

They were waiting outside for the rest of their batchmates to join them after Muggle Studies and almost all of them had something to show the other on their phones.

Despite several guardians expressing their concerns for allowing the kids to have phones, Harry wholeheartedly supported the idea of a digital Hogwarts. If not completely baseless, these concerns were unnecessary.

Minerva fucking McGonagall was the headmistress of Hogwarts, kids from second year and above knew very well why the esteemed professor had the reputation she did. You just did not break (explicitly given) rules under McGonagall's nose.

And they'd been given rules alright.

Besides, it was a long time coming anyway. Being inducted into the world of technology was a step ahead for witches and wizards and Harry couldn't wait to see where it led.

Though sometimes Harry would remember how Dudley used to be on his phone, like an actual addict and couldn't help but fear that himself. 𝘕𝘰, 𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.

Feeling mollified, he eyed the exit of the dungeons longingly. Despite Snape not teaching the subject anymore, Harry still hated that subject something fierce. And was apparently still abysmal in it, or so Malfoy insisted.

"Bloody hell!", he heard Ron before he saw him. His loud exclaim followed by Malfoy's much quieter reply. This was the only class that Malfoy didn't have with other halves of the Slytherin trio. Pansy and Blaise both having dropped the class in favour of Divination and Herbology, respectively.

Now, that was another new development since the war.

The long prevailing Malfoy-Weasley feud had finally come to an end. How, one might of course wonder.

On the very first night in their new mixed dorms, Harry and Ron had been playing wizard's chess and to say Ron had been 𝘱𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 Harry would be putting it rather kindly. Malfoy had been sitting in one of the cozy couches near the fire, and looked at Harry's side of the board with an expression of utter disdain after gracefully getting up and telling Harry to more or less scram.

"Enough Potter, you're embarrassing yourself as it is and at this point even I am embarrassed for even being a mere spectator to your horrifying performance", he had said before looking at Ron with a calculated look which Harry thought was something all Chess Champions gave each other because Ron wordlessly restarted the game. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘧𝘰𝘺.

That fateful night had been history in the making. Ever since that day Ron and Malfoy could easily be found hanging out between classes, Malfoy sharing his Potions notes with Ron while Ron helped him with charms, and of course the occasional quidditch matches. Harry had been invited several times by Ron to join them, but he didn't go on principle. What did they think he was? Jealous? Pssh.

Ron and Malfoy walked into the dungeons busily conversing with each other and looking at the pair of them Harry scoffed.

"Why are you making that face?", Hermione asked with a frown. "I am not making any face. I am simply watching my best friend cheat on me with-", "Your boyfriend?", that all knowing grin that Harry simultaneously loved and hated graced Hermione's lips as she regarded him with twinkling eyes.