sixteen, the friend group—Draco, Blaise, Pansy, Theo, and Y/N—had already formed a strange, unbreakable constellation within Hogwarts: four Slytherins, all from old, generationally wealthy families, and one pure-blood Hufflepuff girl who somehow fit with them more naturally than anyone else in her own house. Y/N worked evenings at the Three Broomsticks to support herself after her family’s fortune died with her parents, and despite the teasing she got for being the “little Hufflepuff waitress,” the others always made a point of stopping by late at night to walk her back or to make sure she ate something warm. Draco—six months older, June-born, and hopelessly devoted—never let anyone forget she wasn’t just part of their group; she was his. They’d been dating since they were eleven, raised practically together because the Malfoys had adored her since birth, Narcissa often calling her her “autumn baby” to Draco’s “summer child.” Because of this, Y/N practically lived in Draco’s private dorm; half her wardrobe was draped over his armchair, her makeup lined his dresser beside his cologne, and her toothbrush sat next to his as though it belonged there more than her own dorm ever had. Their comfort with each other had become its own language—Draco showering while she brushed her teeth behind the curtain, Y/N changing her work uniform while he lounged shirtless on the bed, both of them slipping under the same blankets without thinking. His dorm smelled like expensive aftershave, parchment, and the perfume she wore behind her ears. Some nights she curled into him after work, exhausted, hair still smelling like butterbeer, and Draco would wrap an arm around her waist possessively, kissing her hairline before falling asleep shirtless, warm against her back. Blaise would roll his eyes, Pansy would coo about how “domestic” they already were, and Theo would tease Draco for being “whipped,” but everyone quietly adored the two of them together. To the wealthy pure-blood families, she was already a Malfoy in everything but name, the soft spot of an entire generation of powerful adults—and the absolute center of Draco’s world.