WE NEED EACH OTHER [DRARRY]

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE : SCARED, POTTAH?

I scoffed. "Our enmity isn't something new. It will go on either way."

"It doesn't have to be. You can stop that. Be the bigger person here, Harry." Luna's dreamy voice was hypnotising. "If you use fire against fire, the world will end up in flames."

I tried to understand her. Nodding, I continued eating the rest of my breakfast.

"You know what will take your mind off these things, Harry?" Neville piped in. He had been silently eating this entire time.

I gave him a curious look.

"A day out with your friends," he said, beaming. "How about we go somewhere after breakfast? All of us, even Seamus, Padma and the twins. We can spend a day together. Have lunch at some nice place. I've heard there are some newly opened restaurants at Hogsmeade. What do you say?"

I gulped the food down my throat. As much as I wanted to deny the idea, possibly because I knew people would not spare me from their gazes, I was also aware my friends would never judge me, no matter what I wrote in my journal. And that was all I cared about right now.

"I say yes," I smiled. "Let's do it."

"Brilliant!" Neville clapped my back. "I'll inform everyone else."

I nodded and continued eating my breakfast. But despite Luna's reassurance, my eyes landed on the blond Slytherin at the end of the table again. He was talking to Astoria. And from the smile on her face, it seemed his day would be better than mine.

Draco's POV

It wasn't difficult to apologise to Astoria when she was the one who approached me first. Honestly, I wasn't expecting that. From my previous knowledge, girls usually liked to play hard when it came to apologies. But Astoria appeared out of the blue while I was eating and startled me. She could be so unpredictable at times.

After swallowing my food, I turned to her and changed my expression to something sincere.

"Hey, Astoria," I began, "About yesterday... I apologise for my behaviour. You didn't deserve to hear that."

Astoria didn't think twice before forgiving me, her face breaking into a wide smile.

"Don't worry about it, Draco," she said, "I didn't take it personally. I knew you only said those things because you were angry."

I dearly hoped for that to be true.

"I actually came over to ask you if you wanted to join me and my friends at Hogsmeade?" Astoria asked, blushing. "We're planning to hang out and eat lunch there."

She gestured towards the group of giggling girls that were her said friends. The reluctance must have been visible on my face because Astoria said, "Please, Draco, I would love it so much if you could come."

I sighed internally and nodded. It wasn't like I had any other plans anyway.

Astoria beamed, her willowy body turning to send a thumbs-up to her friends.

"I'll be waiting for you in the courtyard, and we can spend some time together before we head off to Hogsmeade."

Leaning, Astoria kissed my cheek. I was taken aback by the gesture. But she didn't seem to have noticed. Beaming, she turned and flounced away, with her friends following behind her with fresh giggles.

I touched the place Astoria kissed me, rubbing it away with the sleeve of my robe as soon as she was out of sight. Then I turned back to my breakfast, appetite depleted.

Harry's POV

I took a stroll in the northern courtyard after breakfast. Neville was helping Theo change some furniture in their dorm. Luna had plans with some sixth-year girls. She was teaching them how to knit from what she told me. Padma offered me to join her in the library, but that place felt more suffocating to me than it already was. Hence, I decided to hang out by myself until it was our time to go for lunch.