Chapter 2
The next day, Harry woke up, realizing it was finally the weekend. He got up and started getting ready, already having his weekend planned out. Saturday: study. Sunday: study. Well, at least that’s what he told Hermione. He didn’t actually intend to spend the entire weekend with his nose in a book.
But, as it turned out, that’s exactly what happened. Saturday was spent in the library, and Sunday was no different. The days blurred together, quick yet painfully slow at the same time. And, if Harry was being honest with himself, he hated admitting it, but he couldn’t wait for Monday—especially for the classes he had with a certain someone.
When Monday finally rolled around, Harry realized he had Care of Magical Creatures, the class he just so happened to share with Draco. As he arrived, he spotted Draco already there, which was surprising—he was usually late. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment before both quickly looked away, but that brief exchange didn’t go unnoticed. Whispering broke out among their classmates, even Hermione and Ron exchanging knowing glances before looking back at Harry.
Today’s lesson was feeding some of Hagrid’s creatures—small, fuzzy, and circular. They didn’t look too threatening, which made everyone think it would be an easy task. That hope was immediately crushed when Hagrid chuckled and said, “Alright, listen up! They might look innocent, but they do bite!”
Hagrid let out his usual booming laugh before heading toward his hut. “I’ll be back in a bit—get to work! And don’t just stand around doin’ nothin’—you know who you are.”
Of course, that was directed at Draco.
As soon as Hagrid left, everyone started pairing up. Hermione and Ron immediately partnered together. “Sorry, Harry,” they both said, apologizing way too much, as if it was some kind of betrayal. Eventually, the apologies faded, and an odd silence fell over the class. The only sounds left were the occasional rustling of leaves from the Forbidden Forest and strange noises that may or may not have been from animals.
Then, breaking the quiet, loud laughter and shouting erupted from the Slytherin group. All eyes turned to them, but no one said anything. It seemed like everyone in their group had paired up—except for one person.
Of course. Draco.
Harry looked around, trying to find another partner. But the more desperately he searched, the more he realized he was out of luck. He barely had time to react before Draco was already walking toward him. Their classmates subtly stepped aside, forming an unintentional circle around them. Wait—why? Why him?
Draco stopped in front of him, arms crossed. “Oi, Potter. You know I don’t have an option, so we’re pairing up.”
Harry adjusted his glasses, already knowing this was inevitable. The murmurs started again, much louder now.
“What’s going on between those two—?”
“They’ve been acting weird lately, haven’t they?”
The rest of the lesson was... frustrating, to say the least. Harry ended up doing most of the work while Draco stood by, throwing in his usual snarky remarks.
“You’re doing it wrong, Potter.”
“I could totally do it better.”
“Then do it,” Harry snapped.
Draco smirked. “Hell no.”
And that’s how the whole class went. The comments didn’t stop, but at some point, they changed.
“Potter, you know,” Draco drawled, watching him closely, “you look pretty good today.”
Harry froze, his gaze snapping to Draco. What was this guy on about?
Choosing to ignore him, Harry focused on the task at hand, but no matter how hard he tried, that comment echoed in his mind for the rest of the lesson.
At least he barely had classes with Malfoy. Or… was he actually happy about that?
The rest of the day wasn’t much better. He found himself distracted, his mind wandering more than usual. Even in Transfiguration, he was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear McGonagall call his name.
“Potter, pay attention.”
“Sorry, Professor…” he mumbled, feeling his classmates’ stares burning into him. Embarrassing.
That night, as he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, Harry had way too much to think about.