The Boy Who

Seven

Harry ended up being okay, but he claimed that Malfoy was the cause of his late entrance to the welcoming ceremony. Days had passed and he hadn't made a single attempt to talk to me, not in the halls, not in classes, not in the Great Hall, nowhere. Ron and I had a heart-to-heart and he apologized for the way he treated me. I assumed it was because nobody had seen me speaking to Malfoy in a long time, so he thought my friendship with him was over. Either way, it was nice to have him back on his good side. Our group was getting back to normal, finally, and Luna, Neville, and Ginny were becoming part of it too. We all spent most of our time together, but the Golden Group was always going to be the four of us, and we always spent the most time together out of everyone. It was why I sat with them on the express, when I was always supposed to be with the rest of the Ravenclaws. It became a normal for us to be together, and it seemed the professors themselves didn't want to separate us. Everyone but Snape, of course. If we're lucky, Luna and I will sneak over to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall and even the common room on rare occasions.

We all had first period together with Professor Slughorn. He was the new teacher for N.E.W.T. Potions and Snape was the professor for Defense Against the Dark Arts now. Potions class wasn't easy, and Harry has gotten to top of the class with his new buddy, the Half Blood Prince's book. Who the Half Blood Prince was, was still a mystery. Sometimes he'd give me some tips on what to do whenever he got the chance since Hermione didn't seem to want them, she considered it cheating. She's been so overwhelmed lately with work, sometimes I wish she wouldn't be so stubborn and do what the book says. I was satisfied with my average grade, it was better than failing, that's for sure.

Quidditch try-outs were coming up, and I decided to skip it again this year. Ravenclaw's team wasn't very happy to hear I'd be absent from the team again, but with classes being so difficult this year and the stress of everything with Voldemort back, I decided it'd be best to just watch the games this year. I sat with Hermione on the benches, watching the Gryffindor try-outs take place. Her eyes were focused on Ron and I could see her feelings growing stronger and stronger for him everyday. It was clear Ron had something for her too. He was easily bothered by Cormac McLaggen's flirtatious waves and expressions towards Hermione. It was honestly quite entertaining to see. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blonde-haired figure to the side of us. I looked towards it, but nothing was there. I looked back to the field as everyone started to get on their brooms. A few seconds passed and a paper bird came from behind me. Hermione didn't seem to notice, her eyes fixed on Ron and only Ron. I open the paper to see the writing, 'Meet me behind the stands.' I looked around, but didn't see anyone who might've sent the note.

I stood up, "I'll be back."

She nodded, but I'm sure she didn't actually hear me. I sped towards the back of the benches, looking around as I did. I made it to the ground and saw the blonde-headed figure that I thought I had seen earlier. I ran up to him and pushed him, "Why haven't I heard from you?"

"Nice to see you too," He chuckled and pulled me into a hug.

I wanted to be upset, but I missed his scent more than I thought I did. I kept my arms tight around him and he hesitated to pull away. "Everything okay?" He asked, keeping our embrace tight. I nodded, just wanting to be in the moment. I knew I had to ask him about what we saw in Knockturn Alley and about him attacking Harry. I knew there was a lot of things I had to bring up to him, but I just wanted this time of peace. He took a deep breath and gave me a squeeze before finally pulling away.

"I'm sorry for being so distanced," He said. "I've been busy. Classes this year are a bit tough, I'm sure you've noticed."

"Tell me about it," I groaned.

"How have you been?"

"Stressed. With the war getting closer and closer, trying to help Harry, fearing for my parents lives, and trying to keep up with classes as if everything's okay.. it's hard. I know the risk my parents are in since they're muggles. Then there's Harry, trying to help him in all the ways I can, but it's not easy at all. And.." I stopped myself quickly.

"And?"

I took a long, deep breath. "I didn't want to bring this up so early."

"What is it?"

I leaned against a pole and closed my eyes, nervously. When I opened them, he was standing in front of me, focused on my eyes. "Did you attack Harry?"

He stayed silent.

"Draco, I need to know. I've been trying to defend you, but after what happened to Harry, it feels impossible to."

He bit his lip, looking to the ground and kicking the dirt under his feet. "I did, but only because he was eavesdropping and I got annoyed. He had no right to try to listen into my conversation."

"Doesn't mean you had to paralyze him!"

"I-"

"No excuses."

"I'm sorry, okay? I was already annoyed and things at home have been really hectic."

"It's not me you have to apologize to. And speaking of home.." I stood a bit taller, but kept my body pressed against the pole. "Knockturn Alley. Who were those people in Borgin and Burkes? Why were you there?"

His expression turned cold, "Have you been following me? Is it because I didn't answer your letter, because I haven't spoken to you?"

"No I haven't, don't flatter yourself. I was there with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. We happened to see you with a lady. Your mom, I suppose?"

"A family friend of ours was there. We had a sort of reunion, that's all."

"Why don't I believe you?"

He raised his voice, "Maybe because your friends have persuaded you to believe I'm a bad guy again!"

"Watch your tone, Draco!"

"Believe me or not, it doesn't change the truth."

I paced the floor for a minute, thinking about everything. I stopped and stood directly in front of him. My eyes stared into his, only inches apart from each other. "Are you a Death Eater?"

He stepped back, as if he didn't expect that question. "Juniper."

"Are you a Death Eater?"

"Are you out of your mind? Of course not!"

I turned around, taking a few steps away. I could hear his breathing, his voice was starting to shake and I didn't know what to make of it. I hugged myself, my arms crossed over each other loosely. "I want to believe you, Draco, I really do."

"So believe me," He whispered and walked up behind me. He put both his hands on my shoulders, slowly wrapping them around me. Chills raced down my spine and my heart beat began to race quicker with each second that passed by. I put my hands on his arms that were now wrapped over my chest. His minty breath warmed the left side of my neck, causing a coat of goosebumps to form over my arms. I turned around and looked into his eyes, wanting to believe him, but having a gut feeling that he was lying. He cupped my cheek with his soft hand and I leaned my head into it. His face started to lean forward slowly, the space between us closing. My mind was all over the place. In my heart, I knew I wanted this badly, but my mind screamed no. I put my hand on his chest and our lips were just centimeters apart. The moment was ruined by a loud banging sound that caused us to jump back. I tried to look through the stands, but it was almost impossible to see what the noise was.

I bit my lip softly and my cheeks flushed as I processed what almost happened. Malfoy cleared his throat as he ran a hand through his hair. I looked around, hoping nobody was around to have seen us.

"I should get back to Hermione," I mumbled.

He nodded, "Yeah.. Crabbe is probably looking for me or something."

"See you around."

"Wait, are we good?"

I turned to look at him and smiled, "Yeah."

I ran back to Hermione and saw Ron killing it at the try-outs. I watched Hermione and noticed her tampering with McLaggen's performance. I shook my head, giggling under my breath. I sat beside her and she looked at me, realizing my 'shame on you' expression and laughing. We watched the rest of the try-outs, talking like we did years ago.

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Author's Note:

Thank you for reading this far! I hope you're enjoying the story! Comment, vote, and share if you'd like. Feedback is always appreciated! :))