Dramione Snippets

The Tree.

It started as a simple stroll.

The sun was dipping below the horizon, streaking the sky with hues of gold and rose. The Forbidden Forest was off-limits, of course, but the small clearing just before the tree line had always been a perfect escape from the chaos of the castle. It wasn't unusual to find students wandering here, especially those looking for a moment of peace before dinner.

What was unusual, however, was that four students who rarely hung out together found themselves in the same clearing at the same time.

"Well, this is awkward," Blaise Zabini drawled, leaning against a nearby tree, hands in the pockets of his expensive cloak.

"I could say the same," Pansy Parkinson sniffed, arms crossed. "What exactly are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," Ginny Weasley interjected, tossing her red hair over her shoulder. She was squinting at Pansy suspiciously, as if she thought the Slytherin girl was about to launch an attack at any moment.

"I was just walking," Harry Potter supplied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Didn't think I'd run into all of you."

It was an odd mix. Blaise and Pansy were Slytherins, and while they had their own circle, it usually didn't involve Ginny or Harry. And vice versa. Yet here they all were, standing in the same clearing, staring at each other like someone had invited them to an impromptu social experiment.

Before anyone could make a run for it, Ginny's gaze landed on something in the distance. "Oh! Look at that," she said, stepping forward. The others followed, curiosity getting the better of them.

It was an old tree, its bark weathered but sturdy. And right in the center, carved deep into the wood, was a heart with two initials inside:

H.G + D.M

There was a beat of silence.

"That's adorable," Pansy said, tilting her head. "Wonder who that could be?"

Blaise let out a low chuckle. "Whoever they were, they had guts, leaving something so permanent. You don't just carve your initials into a tree unless you mean it."

Ginny traced the outline with her fingers. "H.G. and D.M.," she murmured, brow furrowing. "I can't think of any couple with those initials."

"Definitely not a Gryffindor-Slytherin thing," Harry said, shaking his head. "The only D.M. I know is Malfoy, and I highly doubt he's off engraving trees with someone."

Pansy snorted. "Merlin, can you imagine? Malfoy, of all people, falling for someone sentimental enough to do this?"

"Maybe it was decades ago," Blaise mused. "Some long-forgotten lovers, one from Gryffindor, one from Slytherin, carving out their rebellion against their houses."

Ginny sighed dramatically. "That would make such a good story. A Romeo and Juliet-type romance, but with actual survival skills."

"Or," Harry said, grinning slightly, "maybe it was just some random students having a laugh."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "How very romantic, Potter."

Blaise tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Still... I'm intrigued. If only trees could talk."

None of them noticed the subtle shift in the air. The clearing, once nothing more than a simple hideaway, now felt different. Like a secret had been whispered, but they weren't quite close enough to hear it.

As the conversation dwindled, they turned away, heading back to the castle with nothing but idle curiosity and their own theories.

Behind them, hidden among the rustling leaves, the old tree stood silently. If they had stayed just a moment longer, they might have caught the faintest trace of something almost imperceptible—a quiet pulse of magic woven into the carving, keeping it preserved. A magic neither new nor ancient, but one that had been carefully cast by hands that had once held each other in secret.

Hands that belonged to none other than Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy.