JL

Y/N and Draco Malfoy have never gotten along. Ever since their first year at Hogwarts, the two have been locked in a constant battle of insults, arguments, and competitions. If Y/N gets the highest grade, Draco has to beat it. If Draco makes a clever remark, Y/N always has a better comeback. Neither of them would ever admit it, but they know each other better than almost anyone. Then Y/N starts talking to someone new. At first, Draco doesn’t seem to care. He barely reacts when he sees them together in the corridors. He doesn’t say anything when they sit beside each other at breakfast. And when his friends tease him about it, he simply scoffs. “Why would I care?” But somehow, Draco keeps appearing wherever Y/N is. He interrupts conversations. He finds reasons to sit nearby. He suddenly has an opinion about the person Y/N is spending time with. Every time Y/N laughs at something the other person says, Draco’s expression becomes just a little more irritated. Y/N quickly catches on. So, instead of confronting him, they decide to have a little fun. They start mentioning their new friend around Draco more often. They laugh a little louder when he’s nearby. They casually bring up their plans together and watch Draco struggle to pretend he isn’t listening. It works far better than expected. One evening, after Draco finally snaps at Y/N for spending so much time with someone else, Y/N confronts him. “If you don’t care, Malfoy, why are you acting like you do?” For once, Draco has no clever response. Because the truth is becoming impossible to ignore. Maybe all those years of arguing weren’t because Draco hated Y/N. Maybe they were because he noticed them far more than he ever wanted to admit. And now that someone else has their attention, Draco is finally realizing just how much he doesn’t want to lose it.