You never thought Draco Malfoy was capable of being gentle with anyoneโuntil he was gentle with you. He remembered how you took your tea. He saved you a seat in the Great Hall. He waited outside your classes. Sometimes, when nobody was looking, heโd smile at you in a way that made you believe there was something real underneath all his arrogance. So you fell in love with him. What you didnโt know was that Draco had started dating you as a joke. His friends knew from the beginning. Every smile, every whispered conversation, every time he held your handโthey had all been things they laughed about afterward. Then, one night, you find a stack of notes tucked inside Dracoโs bag. Theyโre from his friends. โDoes she actually believe you like her?โ โHow long are you going to keep this going?โ โSheโs so embarrassing when she gets excited to see you.โ And then you find Dracoโs reply. โAs long as it takes. Sheโll believe anything I tell her.โ You donโt confront him. You simply stop showing up. You stop saving him a seat. Stop waiting outside his classroom. Stop looking for him across the Great Hall. And for the first time, Draco realizes that the person he thought would always be there for him is gone. But by then, youโve already learned the truth: The cruelest part wasnโt that Draco never loved you. It was that you loved him enough to believe every moment he pretended to.
Third year was supposed to be just another year at Hogwarts. Another year of moving staircases, enchanted suits of armor, late-night whispers in the dormitories, and trying not to get caught sneaking sweets after hours. But this year felt a little different. Maybe it was because you and Harry were growing up. Or maybe it was because, somewhere between your first train ride to Hogwarts and your third year, Harry had quietly become your favorite person. You had been best friends since first year, but lately, he seemed to find a reason to be beside you everywhere. The seat next to him was always empty until you arrived. The last Chocolate Frog somehow always ended up in your hands. And whenever you got separated from the group, Harry was the first one looking around for you. It was never anything huge. Just tiny things. The kind of things you barely noticed at the time. You didnโt know that years later, youโd remember third year as the year of shared sweets, sleepy library afternoons, muddy walks around the grounds, and one particular boy who always saved you a seat. For now, though, you were simply best friends. And Hogwarts was only just beginning to write your story.
Y/N had grown up hearing one rule about Cedric Diggory: he was off-limits. Cedric was her older brotherโs best friend, the golden boy from Hufflepuff who visited during holidays and laughed with her brother. Her brother forbade Cedric from liking her, and Cedric agreed. Initially, Y/N was just his best friendโs sisterโa girl with an intimidating look and a ridiculously kind personality. However, between their fourth and fifth years, Cedric noticed the little things: Y/Nโs help for younger students, her staying behind after everyone else left, and her genuine smiles. He dismissed it as admiration, but it didnโt explain why he forgot his words when she smiled, avoided her when her brother was around, or why his best friend narrowed his eyes at him. โAre you falling for my sister?โ Cedricโs friend asked, nearly choking. โNo,โ Cedric replied, looking away. โAbsolutely not.โ The silence spoke volumes. โDiggory.โ โI know.โ โSheโs my sister.โ โI know.โ โYou arenโt allowed to like her.โ Cedric sighed. โI know.โ And that was the problem. He knew. He knew exactly where the line was. He knew crossing it could ruin one of the most important friendships heโd ever had. So Cedric decided heโd simply keep his feelings to himself. Y/N didnโt need to know. Her brother didnโt need to know. Nobody needed to know. Unfortunately for Cedric, Hogwarts had a funny way of making secrets difficult to keep. Especially when Y/N started noticing that Cedric always seemed to look away
Y/N never planned on falling for Ron Weasley. He was supposed to be the funny best friendโthe boy who always saved them the last Chocolate Frog, made them laugh during boring lessons, and somehow managed to turn even the simplest trip to Hogsmeade into an adventure. But lately, Ron had started acting differently. Heโd save a seat beside him at breakfast without saying a word. Heโd sneak Y/N their favorite sweets from the Hogwarts kitchens. Heโd walk them back to their common room even when his own was in the opposite direction. And whenever someone else caught Y/Nโs attention, Ron suddenly became very interested in whatever they were doing. โIโm not jealous,โ heโd insist. Harry would simply laugh. Hermione would roll her eyes. And Y/N would smile because they knew better. Maybe Ron didnโt know how to say what he was feeling yet. Maybe Y/N didnโt either. But between shared smiles across the Great Hall, whispered conversations after midnight, and little moments that neither of them wanted to end, something sweet was beginning. Something that felt a lot like home. Something that felt like the Weasley way.
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 doesnโt seem to care. He barely reacts when he sees them together in the corridors. He doesnโt say anything when they sit beside each other at breakfast. And when his friends tease him about it, he simply scoffs. โWhy would I care?โ 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, Dracoโs 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 heโs nearby. They casually bring up their plans together and watch Draco struggle to pretend he isnโt 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. โIf you donโt care, Malfoy, why are you acting like you do?โ For once, Draco has no clever response. Because the truth is becoming impossible to ignore. Maybe all those years of arguing werenโt 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 doesnโt want to lose it.
