"Ron," Harry knocked on Ron's office. Ron on the otherhand had no other facial expression, not even said a word, insisting Harry to come in.
"There's a new case, Nott's been released from azkaban, etc etc. Need to tag him so we can keep track of his actions, asap." Harry says, not even bothering to look at Ron since he was holding a bunch of papers to be given at Ron. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, finally noticing Ron's complete silence.
"Nothing. Anyway, where is Nott now?"
"Professor Mcgonagall took him back at hogwarts, she said it would be the best to let students come back and finish the last school year, and what's surprising is that we're the only one who turned down hogwarts."
"Not just us.. Malfoy and some of his gits aren't back at hogwarts," Ron muttered.
"Hm?"
"Nothing. I'll go look for Nott myself and tag him. By the way, have you tagged Malfoy yet?" Ron asked, standing up and taking files from Harry.
"Of course I did, the night when he was out at gringotts."
"Good. Let me know what's he up to"
"Why?" Harry gave him a puzzled look, certainly he hasn't read the news yet.
"Because he's with Hermione! I just... can't believe it. He's been flirting with her own nemesis" Ron sighed.
"Hermione wouldn't do that, we know her." Said Harry, who tries to talk him out of it.
"Well maybe perhaps she's using it as revenge for me or something?"
"Maybe she's watching his actions?" Harry tries to talk Ron out
"She's not an auror" said Ron, sighing at afterwards.
"Yeah, but she's our best friend, she wouldn't do such a thing. Look, maybe this is all in your head now it would be nice if you go clear it up by tagging Nott before he does something horribly wrong"
"Okay" Ron nods, as he soon exits his office.
~
Ron had drove all the way to hogwarts with his newly bought flying car, considering the fact that he doesn't have to use his father's old one.
As he stopped by the gates of his old school, he took a deep breath, took out the papers needed and went inside the castle.
He also had noticed everyone was back at hogwarts. They were all finishing their last years, and Ron has no plans of coming back. Everyone shot a glare at him, some envy him, some admired him.
But that was not the point, he needed to find Theodore Nott and that's what he is going to do.
Then, a familiar voice had called him not so far. "Ron!" It was Neville, holding a pot of plant in his hands as he walks closer to him.
"I'm glad to see you here! What're you up to?" Neville asks. "I'm here to see Theodore Nott. Heard he's sent free from azkaban to finish his final year."
"Oh right, I saw him going to the quidditch field about a minute ago"
"Great, thanks" Ron nods, pats Neville's shoulder and walked away. Though he thought his encounters with his old classmates were over, then comes Luna, abruptly bumping into her.
"Oh, sorry, Ron Weasley, I didn't see you there, I was distracted by searching for Neville's lost pygmy puff.. Anyway, are you planning on coming back to hogwarts like Hermione?"
"N-no. I'm afraid not" said Ron, his serious face had turn into an expression of anger.
"Is it because of the daily prophet?" She asks. "Yeah, how'd you--"
"It was easy, really. I can sense your jealousy towards Hermione and Draco. But don't worry, I'm sure they're just friends. I saw them once and were almost killed by a beast"
"A beast?!" Ron was surprised at what Luna had to say.
"Yeah, they told me they were being attacked by a beast in the muggle world that can talk. But I do have a theory that it could be Draco who is the beast."
"A beast? How the bloody hell would he turn into something like that?"
"I don't know either. Perhaps he's an animagus? But to be sure, I do recommend you take care of Hermione.."
"I.. I don't think I can; we had broken up"
"aw that's sad. But I hope it's for the better, otherwise the golden trio wouldn't be the same." Luna smiled. "Thanks, Luna. Good luck with you and Neville then--"
"Hm? What's with Neville?" Luna asks, becoming quite puzzled.
"Oh, didn't he tell you? At sixth year he confessed to Harry and I that he really do likes you. He was offered a job as an auror but he says he wants to finish his final year with you first." Ron replied, putting his hands in his pockets.
"He never told me anything about that," Luna pursed her lips into a thin line, gripping the books in her arms.
"I mean, I can kind of had a sense that he does, I just didn't want to confirm it myself, my ego is not that big" she continued.
Ron let out a slight chuckle and said, "you know you're bloody straightforward it sometimes scares me"
"I get that a lot" said Luna, before she walks away and continued whatever it is she was going to do. Ron then walked all the way to the quidditch field, which gave him instant nostalgia by the sight. He missed quidditch, it seems like it was the only thing I can excell at. He thought to himself.
He spots a bunch of slytherins training from a distance, so he walked over them and said, "Ron Weasley, ministry of magic, I'm looking for Theodore Nott"
"What do you want?" Said Nott, who scoffed and eyed Ron from head to toe. "I can see you turned down Mcgonagall's approach of finish the last year" he laughed.
"For a good reason, of course," Ron replied, walking his way towards Nott. "What are you doing here anyway? Gonna cheer for the slytherins because the gryffindor's lost an excellent seeker and a keeper?" He continued to boast, and Ron was definitely not having it.
He then took Nott's wrist aggressively, putting the tagging spell on him and left without saying a word.
"You red headed weirdo! Look at that? He tried to break my wrist; no wonder Granger chose Malfoy instead of you"
"One more word about her and I will take your lifeless body back to azkaban!" Ron snapped with a rather louder voice so that the other slytherins were sure to have heard it.
Ron drove back to the office, instantly going to Harry, demanding to see the tags. "Where's Malfoy?!" He asked, looking very angry.
He then saw the radar, Malfoy at Hermione Granger's flat.
~
"What are we going to do?! Ron now thinks we're dating and now I look like a slag--- I'm not sure if I'm able to come back at hogwarts for this" she sighed, plummeting down the couch as if her whole life had drained out of her.
"You're going back to hogwarts?" Malfoy asked. "Well of course! I wouldn't want to miss my last year."
"Ah, classic Granger" he teased. "Look, just go back to hogwarts and act normally because you know for yourself the news are not true; plus, who cares what they think anyway?" He said.
"I do. I care what people think even if I shouldn't. It affects me so much that I want to prove them wrong... but if the daily prophet has to keep ruining my life then I don't know how am I going to defend myself." She groaned, slamming a pillow on her face.
"You don't need to defend yourself, why can't we just be friends? Maybe that way they will see that we really are not in a relationship" Malfoy suggested. "Okay." Hermione finally agrees and nods.
"Okay. Let's get to know each other better" Draco says. "You start," said Hermione.
"Okay um... I'm Draco Lucius Malfoy, slytherin, good at potions, definitely not a death eater, I used to make potions as a hobby, just a hobby, I am competitive, sometimes--- most of the times immature, and I used to be a bully"
"What are your likes and dislikes?" She asked, sitting up from the couch.
"I like to explore a lot, you know maybe someday if I manage to finish exploring the muggle world maybe then I can visit other planets as well. I'd want to build a rocketship someday and that was what I told myself when I was young." He chuckled at the end. "I don't like people defining me for who I am. I don't like being taken for granted, and those who underestimate me"
Hermione was about to say something but she quickly shuts her mouth, licking her lips and staying silent for about a couple of seconds until Draco spoke, "what about you? Tell me all about you. Hermione Granger, the witch behind the books" he smirks.
"Well, I'm Hermione Jean Granger, I was a muggle, not until at the age of ten when I suddenly realized that I can control objects magically, then my parents knew I am a witch. They didn't disagree on me going to hogwarts, although there's this one time.." Hermione sucked in her breath, and was about to avoid the topic by saying other things instead.
"I had a cat named crookshanks. I took her back to the muggle world before the war began. I... I don't really have much to say more about, really. You already know I do love to read, I suppose I am quite a boring person."
"no, no.. you're not." Draco contradicted. "So, what is it about you and your love of books? Not trying to offend you or anything" He asks.
"I.. I didn't like how the children at my old school treated me. They thought I was weird, and so I thought to myself, why would I want to go to a place to be picked on every single day just so I can educate myself?" She sighed. "I was glad I got accepted at hogwarts. There I took my full potential of advance reading the books because everything was so new to me as if it was a dream," she giggled a bit.
Draco was amazed, surprisingly. He had become more interested in her, suddenly feeling the guilt in him build up, because he was a school bully.
"Well, what about your parents?" He asked once more.
"I could tell you, but now is not the right time"
"Now enough about me, let's talk about you" she continued. Draco shifts seat to be a little bit closer to Hermione. "There's nothing much to say to you--"
"Oh come on! There is a lot of explaining to do.. like, how did you become a death eater, why were you such a bully, why did you leave your family, what was that secret mission you've been on and about.. you know, all that stuff"
"Calm down with your questions Granger, your fondness of me is showing" he teased.
"Well, my family got involved with the dark lord, Voldemort had asked me to kill Dumbledore in which I couldn't do somehow because then I was slowly realizing the truth behind everything. I've left my family because of that." He licked his lips, then pursing it into a thin line.
"Oh... what about you being a bully back at--" before Hermione would have finished her sentence, Draco interrupts by saying, "wow, would you look at the time I have to go, leave.. Blaise and Pansy are looking for me and," he says, immediately standing up from the couch and opening the door knob.
"Wait, what about your story? Don't be such a cliffhanger, Malfoy!"
"I'll uh.. Tell you when the right time comes," he winks, leaving her alone in her flat, still bothered that she was on an edge of a cliffhanger.
~
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Yay another chapter donnee! Thank you for the 3k reads you guys are the absolute best! I'll try my best to update faster than before..
Still doing dedications & easter eggs for you to find! Hope to see you in the next one!
And oh would you look at that feltson is sinking and my heart is breaking yay! Thanks Tom!