This imagine was requested by SerenaDelCiotto!
House: Ravenclaw
Blood Status: Muggleborn
Warning: Swearing.
A/N: The plot of this imagine may be a bit off because it was submitted in French. Sadly, I do not speak French so I had to resort to using Google Translate and the similarities between French and English to make out what the request was. As a result, I'm not sure if some of the meaning of what you wanted was lost in translation, but I really hope you enjoy!
This imagine will also have some very large time skips, but it will be an extended chapter! Since I've been on hiatus for a long time, I wanted to put extra effort in on this one!
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First Person POV:
The high pitched squeaking of the wheels against the train tracks echoes through the train cars as the Hogwarts Express comes to a halt in the Hogwarts station. I stand up, my hand shaking a bit as I reach for the handle. The compartment door slides open with a low rumble. Grabbing my bag, I join the mass of students in black cloaks heading out of the doors on either end of the cars. I feel my face become hot and my hands clammy with nervousness. I'm finally in the wizarding world. As I step off the train, I feel my stomach turn acidic. I have no idea where I should be. I look around at all of the other students seem to be going somewhere. Finally, my eye catches on someone who's looking at me, too. He looks about my age, but he's quite a bit taller. His silky blonde hair is slicked back and a large smirk is plastered on his face. He leans over to his friends.
"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" he asks and one of his burly friends grins stupidly while a smaller skinnier one nods and looks back over to me. "Absolutely beautiful."
I feel my face turn bright red and I turn away from the group and start to rush away somewhere else, but it's too late. They're already walking towards me. I freeze in my place as the blonde boy smiles at me and stops to stand right in front of me.
"Hello," he says with a warm smile.
"Hi," I squeak, trying to make myself as small as possible.
"I'm Draco Malfoy," he says, holding out his hand.
"Y/n y/l/n...," I trail off, taking his hand shaking it loosely.
"What house are you hoping for?" he asks.
"I beg your pardon?" I say.
"Your house. You've gotta be hoping for one. All of us here are hoping for Slyther-," he says but abruptly stops. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"
I shake my head and he immediately recoils.
"Your parents aren't like us, right? They're M-"
"Yes. Muggles," I say softly. He immediately takes to groaning and wiping his hand on one of his friend's robes.
"You don't belong here, Mudblood!" he shouts, pointing his finger at me, sprinting away. I stand there totally shocked and embarrassed. I put my head down and clutch my bag to my chest.
"First years, this way!" someone bellows and I follow the voice to my left. I feel a tap on my shoulder and I jump.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" the girl behind me says, holding her hands up. She smiles at me as she brushed a bunch of frizzy, brown hair out of her face.
"No, no... It's okay...," I say, turning away from her.
"Hey! Wait!" she calls out.
"Hmm?"
"I'm Hermione... I'm sorry that happened to you. That guy wasn't very nice," she says sympathetically. "You're like me, right? Your parents are muggles."
I nod, but she smiles, surprisingly.
"Yay! Let's go! I bet this is going to be a great year!"
She rushes up to me and takes my hand, pulling me through the crowd towards a gigantic man with a frizzy beard and a trench coat. Looks like this place isn't so sucky after all.
~~~~~
"Y/n..." I hear Hermione say. "Y/n!"
"What is it?" I ask, putting down my book.
"You're doing it again... Remember I had something important to say? You keep disappearing into your books. It's discouraging," she sighs.
"What do you mean?"
"You're always in your books, y/n," she sighs.
"Says the girl who packed Hogwarts: A History for some 'light reading', Hermione. You're one to talk...," I grumble. "I'm a Ravenclaw. It's in my nature... and I don't like talking to people. People aren't nice."
"But not having friends isn't nice, too, y/n...," she adds on. "Come on, y/n. I'm trying to help. It's the start of fourth year! The only friends you have are Harry, Ron, and me. You should put yourself out there more. You just seem lonely and sad all the time. I'm worried."
I squirm in my seat as she says it. "No, thanks. I like where I'm at now," I smile, returning to my book.
"I know what Malfoy said to you on your first day really got to you, but you have to let it go!" Hermione urges.
"It's not about stupid Malfoy," I grumble.
"Y/n, Hermione's right," Harry says, sitting down.
"Malfoy's an ass. He's practically worthless," Ron adds casually. "He's just a lonely sack of-"
"That's enough, Ronald!" Hermione snaps, glaring at Ron. Harry snorts loudly and I laugh along with him. Hermione rolls her eyes.
"I was going to say that he shouldn't get her down," Ron sighs in defence.
"So, y/n... Will you try put yourself out there more this year?" Hermione says, after firmly hitting Ron on the head with a magazine. "Come on... You've gotta take some chances."
I look around at my friends and Harry and Ron are staring at me intently. I sigh and flop back into my seat.
"Fine," I say with a smile. "I'll try, but if my introvert self gets ripped to shreds, it's gonna be your fault, Hermione."
"Okay, okay," Hermione sighs with a small chuckle as the train begins to slow to a stop. "That's fair."
~~~~~
My trunk latches shut with a loud clicking noise and I pull it off my bed to the floor. I pull it down the stairs to the Ravenclaw common room.
"Hi, y/n!" Terry Boot calls over to me, waving his hand.
"Hi, Terry," I reply with a smile. to my right, Padma comes up to me and gives me a quick hug.
"I can't believe the year's over, y/n. I can't wait to be a fifth year!" she smiles. "I'm going to find my sister! See ya!"
I wave goodbye to her as we part ways at the door. I drag my case down the staircase and leave it in the front hall next to hundreds of leather trunks and birdcages. I walk away and turn into the great hall for my last meal before we all head back home for the summer. As I make my way to the Ravenclaw table, I get some greetings and "have a nice summer"s from the people sitting down. I look over to the Gryffindor table and see Hermione waving me over. I smile and go over to them.
"Hi, y/n! Sit down," Harry says and I do so.
"So...," Hermione says making intense eye contact with me. "I was right.."
"About what?" I ask, serving myself a bit of Owl Os.
"You needing to step out of your comfort zone. You've gotten so many friends lately that I can hardly count and I can see that you're happier every day!" Hermione smiles.
"I guess you're right...," I trail off.
"Of course she's right!" Ron sighs. "Hermione's never wrong."
"At this point, you're practically the most popular girl in school. Everyone loves you," Harry says frankly.
"No... That's not right, Harry," I scoff. "Me? Popular? Please... When pigs fly."
Ron looks over at me in confusion.
"Muggle saying," I explain,
"It's true, y/n. You turned down Roger Davies for the Yule Ball and he ended up going with Fleur Delacour!" Harry says. "Come on, y/n... You're popular and for good reason! You're smart, funny, and kind."
"I admit it and you three were right all along," I smile. "I've got a boyfriend, too. Zacharias and I are going on four months."
"I wonder how you can stand him, y/n... He doesn't deserve you," Ron says.
"Come on... Zach is a nice guy on the inside," I reply.
"I don't like how he treats you. He's controlling sometimes, but whatever works for you, y/n," Harry laughs. "If he does cross the line, I will not hesitate to hurt him."
Everyone bursts out into laughter and continue eating our last breakfast as fourth years. After a few minutes, we get up to go to the station for the train ride home. In the crowd of people, I find Zach and his friends and we all head to a compartment together. He takes my hand and draws me closer to his body. On the way, we come face to face with Draco Malfoy and his gang.
"Well, well," Malfoy says with his normal smirk plastered on his face. "If it isn't little Miss y/l/n..."
He looks over to Zacharias, who puts his arm around me and he glares at Mafloy. Draco sneers at him angrily. I stand my ground for once. I'm not going to let Draco Malfoy faze me anymore. Malfoy grumbles and turns away, heading into a compartment.
"Looks like there's a little love-fest going on over here," Blaise Zabini laughs, stepping forward. "Don't worry about your cover-up, Smith. I know it won't last."
"I have no idea what you're talking about. You're just trying to drive a wedge between y/n and me," Zach scowls.
"Stop it, Zabini," I spit at him. "I'm tired of you constantly tormenting us."
Zabini suddenly turns on Zach and scowls at him menacingly.
"She'll know the truth soon, Smith. Don't doubt that, you dirty weasel," Zabini smirks as he turns on his heel and disappears into the same compartment.
"What was that about, Zach?" I ask him and Zack shrugs, but I see a tiny bead of sweat on the side of his cheek. I shrug it off and we walk down, trying to find somewhere to sit.
~~~~~
"Fantastic, y/n!" Harry cheers as the fake Death Eater's body blows up into dust and fragments of it land in far corners of the room "Your skills have been improving."
"Thanks, Harry," I laugh and go to sit down next to my bag. I pull out one of my books and open to the page I was reading before on technique for casting Reducto. As the pages fall apart, a small piece of parchment flutters to the ground. On it, there's a note written in messy chicken-scratch handwriting. It reads: "look in your Smith's bag. Your 'boyfriend' is hiding something, y/n. From an unexpected friend."
Intrigued, I go over to Zach's bag ad he's trying to blow up another Death Eater. I make sure he's not looking and I open up his bag. I sift through the books and the pens, making sure not to uncork or break the ink bottles. As I come to a pocket in the side of his satchel I notice a folded up letter with a pink heart drawn on it. I feel a bit of anger in the pit of my stomach. I'd never give him anything like that. I take it out and unfold it.
Dear Zachy Bear,
I love you so much. You are the love of my life. It's such a shame that y/n girl is in the way of us. Your eyes are blue as the sky and I just want you all to myself. You make my life complete and I'd be nothing without you. Let's run away together this summer and be together. You know we belong together. You said it last night in the common room. I love it when we kiss and hold hands. Let's stay together forever.
All my love,
Hannah
I can't help it and my tears fall onto the parchment. I cover my face with my hands and cry into them. As I cry my eyes out silently, I want to disappear. I want to forget that I ever found that note and ever went into Zach's bag. I slowly get up and grab my things, mumbling a quick goodbye to Harry as I go by.
"Hey, babe," Zacharias says, taking my hand. "What's the rush? The meeting's not over yet."
"W-We are done," I cry shakily, trying to rip my arm away from him.
"What do you mean, babe?" he calls after me as I try to rush out the door. "Our relationship is great! You can't just end it! We're a power couple! We rule the school! We're y/n and Zach!"
"No... I can't do this!" I say angrily. I can't believe he's acting like nothing's happened! "I'm too mad to have a conversation with you! Just... Go be with Hannah... I know you want to!"
"Hannah? Where'd you get that idea?" he gasps. "I'm not into her! She's just a friend."
"It's okay. Save the excuses. I'll be okay without you. This is a good thing, Zach. After all this time, I've realised you treat me shittily. You're far too possessive. I'll see you around... Have a nice life."
I rush out of the Room of Requirement and into the hallway, avoiding every other student I can so that nobody sees me like this. Turning into an empty hallway, I press my back to the wall and melt down into the floor, trying to make everything fade away. My eyes sting from the tears, but they keep sliding down my cheeks like a waterfall. My chest contracts and I start to hyperventilate. It never occurred to me that Zachary was putting on an act but I have all the proof now. His note and the way he acted when Zabini confronted us all the time ago. I wonder how long this had been going on...
"Why are you so smug, Blaise?" I hear Draco Malfoy voice echo through the hall. I gasp and rush into a broom cupboard as the footsteps grow closer. I can't have the Slytherins see me like this. They'll never let me hear the end of it. Through the door, I hear their conversation.
"It's finally time," Blaise says confidently, a smug grin plastered on his face.
"What do you mean?" Malfoy asks nonchalantly.
"I planted a note in Smith's bag for y/n to find. It's a love note from Hannah Abbott to him," Blaise laughs. "I've been working on this scheme for a long time. I've been dropping subtle yet misleading hints about her relationship to y/n each time we meet."
"What the hell do you mean?" Malfoy asks, suddenly very interested. "Are that note and what you've been hinting at real?
"Of course not. My whole masterful plan is to break them up. It's been in motion for months. Zacharias Smith had her wrapped around his finger. He would never break off their relationship for real. He was feeding off of her popularity and that's why he was so possessive. Now that they're broken up, I'll be there to comfort y/n. I'll be her next boyfriend and she can use her influence to benefit me. It was completely wasted on scum like Smith," Baise chuckles in satisfaction. "I know, you probably didn't' think I'll ever love a filthy mudblood like her, but I'll get ahead while I can and then I can kick her to the curb. She won't survive what's coming. The Dark Lord will see to it."
"No! You didn't!" Malfoy gasps. "You can't do that to y/n! What did she ever do to you?"
I ball up my hands into tight fists in anger and I slam my body against the broom cupboard door with all my might. I burst out of the cupboard with a bang and I'm met by Zabini's eyes. He stares at me in shock.
"Y/l/n I-" he starts to say but I swing my arm out as far as I can and slap him across the face. The impact can be heard from all the way down the hall. He grunts in pain, doubling over and hitting the ground hard. "Fuck you, y/l/n!"
I glare at him and scream. I turn swiftly on my heel, running away from the pair. Can't today just be normal? I broke it off with my boyfriend, I learned he was only in it for the popularity, and I eavesdropped on Blaise Zabini.
"Y/n! Wait! Stop, please!" I hear a voice say from behind me. I feel a hand wrap tenderly around mine and I look back. It's Draco Malfoy.
"What is it, Malfoy?" I ask. "Why are you touching my hand. Aren't I a filthy mudblood who doesn't belong here? With this much contact, you'll need an exterminator to get rid of the filth that's on your hand."
"I... just... I wanted to say I'm sorry. It seems you're having a pretty crappy day," he says softly.
"Ya think?!" I snap, but I calm down as I see him take a step back. "I'm sorry... I just thought I was okay... I guess I was wrong."
"Want to talk about it?" he asks.
"I don't know... It's complicated... Everything was fine for the first few years. I had my friends and I was in my comfort zone... I got out of it, made a few more friends... I guess I became 'popular' or something... I had a boyfriend, but I don't know why I thought that was genuine... Smith was playing me... I guess I was better off back then when I didn't trust anyone," I say, starting to cry again.
"Oh, y/n... Please don't say that...," Draco says, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his chest. I take a deep, shaky breath against his body. I feel the warmth and his heartbeat against my body. I smell his expensive, earthy cologne and the smell of new leather. It's nice and calming. "You know, I prefer the new you. You're much more comfortable with yourself. Who you are deserves to be shared with the world. Before, people didn't know what they were missing out on..."
"Why are you saying all of this, Draco?" I ask, resting my head on his lean, strong shoulder. "You hate people like me. It goes against everything 'Malfoy' and everything you said to me when we first met..."
"I know, I know," he whispers into my ear. "But I do remember that I called you 'absolutely beautiful', too... Does it go against that?"
I shake my head and look up into his eyes. They're cool grey, but inviting and warm.
"I guess not...," I trail off as I see a spark in his eyes. Before I can really process it, his lips are on mine. They're soft and silky and move against my lips in a wonderful rhythm. He takes my waist in his hands and pulls me in closer. I run my fingers through his smooth hair and everything feels right. We break away and he presses his forehead against mine. "I-I shouldn't be doing this... I don't know what's come over me..."
"Please!" Draco says abruptly. "Don't go away... I know I've been an ass to you, but I was just doing that because I didn't know how to say that I liked you... I've liked you ever since we met. You know that, but it's taken me a long time to get here because of what my father's put into my head for years. I've watched you blossom into an amazing, smart, funny, talented girl over the years and I've just fallen for you more. At this point, I don't care what my father thinks. If you feel the same, I'd do anything for you. We could run away together if you'd really like to. You're truly special, y/n, and I want to be yours... if you'll have me."
There's a moment of silence where the air is heavy and you could hear a pin drop. Draco clutches my body in his and I feel the passion and the love he has for me, but how do I know he's not like Zach or Blaise? Memories of fear of other people and social interaction flood my brain, but everything clears when I remember what Hermione said last year: "Take some chances", she urged me.
"Y/n...? Are you okay? " Draco asks me, still holding me close, disappointment crawling onto his face as the moments go by. I take a deep breath. "What do you say?"
"Yes."
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A/N: Wow! That imagine was 3,490 words long! Thanks so much for reading! Thank you all for 411k! It means so much that you all like what I've been writing! I'll be back with more soon!
- Soiea