Strange events occurred at Hogwarts in the days leading up to Draco and Y/n's 'study date'.
News spread like a wildfire about how Katie Bell had been cursed, rumors began to circulate among the student body, some saying that she was under some sort of spell, other's claiming she had gone mental.
Harry of course was convinced Draco Malfoy had to be behind Katie's possession. However, he lacked support from his friends being that he had acquired absolutely no evidence.
Harry hastily made his way through the corridors, stopping when he found who he had been looking for.
"Y/n!" Harry called out.
The girl turned to face an out of breath Harry Potter.
"Hi Harry" the girl greeted.
"Hi...uh...give...me...a...second" The boy panted.
Y/n stood by, patiently waiting for Harry to catch his breath.
"You were with Draco on Saturday, correct?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I noticed he had left; did he look like he was doing something suspicious?"
"What are you implying?"
Harry sighed and his expression grew serious.
"Saturday, Katie Bell was given a cursed necklace; she was planning on gifting it to Professor Dumbledore. The same day you and Draco were at Hogsmeade, and Draco had left... I have reason to believe Draco was behind the incident" Harry explained.
"And your reasons are?"
"Well his father's a deatheater, so maybe he's one as well"
"Harry that's an insane accusation. I know the two of you aren't the best of friends, but you can't go around saying that sort of stuff."
"I know, but-"
"I'm sorry Harry, I have a study meeting that I'm going to be late for" Y/n interrupted.
"Oh, and if you must know, Draco had only left for five minutes to use the restroom" Y/n said before leaving the boy, more confused than before.
Y/n knew that what she had told Harry was a lie, in fact the idea that Draco Malfoy was a deatheater was highly logical. She remembered the paper bag he had brought with him, and his grim descriptions of his father. If Draco Malfoy's father was a deatheater, why wouldn't Draco be? Even though Harry's suspicion was definitely not far off, she needed to investigate for herself, knowing that Harry wouldn't do a very good job at being discreet. Her mind spun with possible ideas, but her thoughts were interrupted by her smiling professor.
"Good Evening Ms. Godwin!" Professor Slughorn boomed.
"Good evening Professor"
"Ms. Godwin, I am here to invite you to become a member of the Slug Club" The beaming Professor announced.
"This club is made up of my most exceptional students, and being that you have obviously inherited your parents' brains, I believe you would be an asset to our club"
"Well that sounds like an offer I cannot pass on"
"Wonderful! We will be meeting this Tuesday"
"I'll be there!" Y/n replied with a smile.
While waiting for her date to arrive, Y/n pulled out her potion's textbook and her class notes. She worked quickly, re-phrasing certain points and separating needed info and fluff.
"I see you've been busy" A voice said causing the girl to look up.
Y/n blushed as her eyes met with Draco's and motioned for him to take a seat.
"Okay, so here are all of the notes we need. Our quiz will most likely be on the serums we learned last week, and Hermione told me she believes the pop task will be to brew a serving of Amortentia. I'll quiz you on the serums, and you can quiz me on the process of brewing Amortentia" Y/n explained.
The pair studied for about half an hour but being that they both were phenomenal at this subject, they decided to take a break. Draco led the girl to his favorite spot in the castle, the astronomy tower. Both teens sat on the ledge with their arms resting on the railing.
"Are you coming to the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Match on Saturday?" Draco asked.
"I'm not on the team anymore, but their seeker is in the hospital ward, so Flint asked me to sub in." Draco added, hinting that he wanted Y/n there to support him.
"Yeah...yeah. I'll be there." Y/n answered thoughtfully.
"Can I ask you something?" Y/n asked.
"Sure, what's up?"
"On our date, what was in the paper bag?"
"Blaise needed me to give it to Pansy. I didn't bother looking inside, I assume the two broke up and he was giving back her belongings" Draco answered calmly. He had a feeling she would be suspicious, so he made sure to prepare an explanation beforehand.
Y/n studied the boy for any clues that he may be lying, which was quite difficult because he wasn't facing her. His voice was steady and deliberate. He seemed quite confident in his answer and his body language showed no signs of self-doubt. She decided to let it go and trust him. Yes, this was a stupid decision on her behalf, but she had no reason to believe Draco would lie to her.
The two sat in uncomfortable silence for a couple minutes, both wondering what the other was thinking.
"What's your favorite constellation?" Y/n asked, hoping to make the situation a little less awkward.
"Draco of course" The boy bragged as he pointed at the constellation.
"I always found that one to be a bit plain." Y/n teased, and Draco flipped off the girl.
"What about you?"
"My favorite is Scorpius" Y/n said as she shifted Draco's arm, so it was now pointing at Scorpius.
"Scorpions are very solitary beings, only interacting with others when needed"
Her hand lingered on his for a split second before she quickly pulled away.
"We should uh... head to bed it's getting quite late" Y/n suggested while getting up.
"Yeah... do you want me to walk you?" Draco asked as he got up as well.
"No that's alright. Good night Draco" Y/n said before waving goodbye and leaving the astronomy tower.
"Bye" Draco said softly. He rubbed the spot her hand touched on his arm and smiled.
His smile faded quickly and he immediately shook his head snapping back into reality.
"Focus Draco. Focus." He muttered to himself.
✵
The next day Draco and Y/n ignored each other for most of the day, only ever sharing an occasional smile. Both teenagers were a bit shaken at the ever so slightly intimate moment they shared.
Time for the potions quiz came and both sat were sat on opposite sides of the room.
"Alright, settle down now" Professor Slughorn hushed the students.
"I will be pairing you up for the second half of the quiz, so let me sort you out." He announced.
As he went down the list, Y/n already knew that with her luck she would likely be paired with Draco, and once again her intuition was correct.
"Hey" Y/n smiled as she sat down.
"Hi" Draco replied.
The students finished their quizzes quickly and sat in silence waiting for further instruction.
Just as Hermione had guessed, the pop task was to brew Amortentia. This was especially easy for the pair being that they had studied this particular procedure just yesterday. Draco stirred the bubbling liquid until the consistency resembled what Amortentia was meant to be like.
"Perfect" Professor Slughorn praised the two once they finished their task.
"Now tell each other what you smell" He ordered.
The two students leaned in and sniffed the mixture.
"I smell... sugar cookies, Y/s/s, and freshly fallen snow." Draco said. Y/n smiled to herself at the mention of y/s/s.
"I smell apples, strong cologne, and..."
"Peppermint" Y/n finished with rosy cheeks. Her description was undoubtedly what Draco Malfoy smelled like and she knew it too.
Draco's heart fluttered upon hearing Y/n's answer. Maybe it was relief that his second task was going successfully, or maybe it was truly happiness that she had smelled him in her Amortentia.
He spent the rest of the day thinking about her and wondering if perhaps he was getting ahead of himself.