┢ "Is it true that you fainted into the train, Potter?"
Malfoy sneered as he sat, leaning back in his seat.
The Great Hall buzzed with the eager chatter of students as they settled into their respective houses for the grand feast.
Draco sat among his Slytherin peers, their backs facing the Gryffindor table.
Harry glanced over his shoulder at him, annoyance etched on his face. "Yeah, it's true. Dementors, you know? They're not exactly a stroll in the park."
"Imagine fainting at the mere sight of a Dementor. Not very Gryffindor-like, is it?" Draco smirked.
Ron clenched his fists but Hermione held him back. "Ron, don't. It's not worth it," she spoke, casting a disapproving glance at Draco.
Malfoy decided to switch tactics as he turned his attention to Hermione. "Granger, hit puberty, did you? Because you've left an ugly girl behind." he smirked, attempting a lame flirtation that reeked of arrogance.
Hermione didn't miss a beat. "Malfoy, unlike some, I focus on more important things than trying to impress with juvenile comments." She replied, unimpressed and undeterred, shooting him a cold glare.
While the exchange went unnoticed by many, what escaped attention was Draco's spontaneity, Hermione's subtle nervousness, and the silent rage that flared in Harry when Malfoy attempted to flirt with Hermione.
Draco muttered something to Theodore Nott, who sat beside him, in a voice that didn't reach Harry's ears, but the snicker that escaped Nott's lips was loud enough to catch Harry's attention, though he didn't think much about it.
The next day, Hermione wasn't cutting herself any slack. She was constantly spinning the hourglass of the Time Turner draped around her neck, hidden beneath her long uniform cloak.
Harry and Ron were relatively at ease, with only a few classes on their schedule. However, even those couldn't keep Ron fully awake, especially when Professor Binns droned on in his monotonous voice.
Meanwhile, Draco found himself excelling in his Charms class, where Hufflepuffs and Slytherins had been combined.
He found himself engrossed in conversation with Theodore Nott.
