WITH FIRE AND IRON | Draco Malfoy

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For a moment, his scowl dropped, replaced by an expression akin to a puppy that perked up at the mention of treats. Draco fought the tugging of his lips upwards but the action just made the witch's smile grow.

Diana giggled and tugged him towards their little picnic set up, sitting him down on one of the pillows. "Come on, I asked the house-elves some sweets and I think it was their way of saying to get diabetes."

The two were enveloped in their own little bubble. Like that one snowy day in December, they had both allowed themselves to act comfortably. Draco cast his armor of thorns aside while Diana laid down her crown of anxieties. Underneath the moon and her children, sat two kids that had a treacherous future ahead of them, whether they were aware of it or not, it did not matter at that moment for it was just them.

Simply them.

"Here," Diana quietly said once they finished eating. In her hands laid the same brown package she received this morning. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. This is your birthday gift and I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

Draco's normally dull eyes were full of life as it stared at the small thing and reached out to take it from her.

She fiddled with her fingers, a sign of her nervousness as she watched him tear away the packaging. She didn't think she was a bad gift giver, actually, she thought of herself as a great one and was normally confident however this time was different. She was giving a gift to Draco Malfoy, the most pompous jerk she has ever met. Sure she had no problem giving him his Christmas present a few months before, but they were alone, and she had set up a picnic that might've resulted in a high expectation for his gift.

And one of the things she feared the most was disappointment.

He opened the plain black box underneath the packaging to reveal a pair of cufflinks shaped like a shield with a dragon ingrained in it.

"I've heard that your family has a tradition of naming their children after constellations and I did some research that yours came from the dragon constellation," she nervously rambled on to fill in the silence. "It just so happened in Latin, Draco means dragon so. . ."

Diana trailed off, not knowing what else to say. She expected he would tease her or at least say something mean like usual, but he was reticent. She wasn't sure which one she preferred.

"Thank you," he whispered.

It was quiet, so soft that she almost didn't hear him but the wind carried his words unto her ears. When he turned her head to face her, a soft and tender expression on her face.

* * *

Diana Romanov sat on her seat in the great hall as usual. Her dark lashes lazily fluttered on her rosy cheeks as she tried her best to keep herself from falling asleep. Underneath the table, her hand twitched in need to rub away the sleepiness but in fear of wiping away the makeup she used to hide her dark circles from smudging, she refrained from doing so. She just had to wait until the end of the year banquet ends and she'll finally be able to catch up on sleep.

Or at least she hoped to.

Suddenly, a hush fell upon the usually buzzing hall. Diana perked up to see what was happening and when she turned towards the entrance, she saw Harry Potter walking in. After days of being unconscious in the hospital, he finally made his appearance. It was natural people were curious as to what happened--some were even standing up just so they could catch a glimpse of him.

She pitied the poor boy that looked so uncomfortable under her schoolmates' wandering eyes.

From somewhere beside her, she could hear a scoff.